Saturday 30 January 2016

The Real Costs to Self-Publish a Book Guest Post on the Reading...Dreaming Blog!

Hey guys

It has been an interesting few days and my day job has really taken over all of my spare time but I am happy to announce I have done another Guest Post, which will hopefully help more of those who want to go into the self-publishing industry.

I want to thank Ruty at the Reading...Dreaming Blog for giving me the opportunity to discuss this topic and to provide my own experiences of this unique journey.

For more information on the advantages (and disadvantages) of self-publishing a book, the real costs on trying to self-publish your work and a breakdown of the profits you would get if you published on Amazon and Smashwords (eBooks only), please click on the link below.


I want to say another big thank you again to Ruty at the Reading...Dreaming Blog and I hope to work with her further in the future.

Happy reading everyone! ;-)

Sunday 24 January 2016

My Weekend and the Kitty Kats!

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope you've all had a great weekend.

I managed to do a little writing this weekend as well as catching up with a few friends and playing with these two cuties...the cats but they only made me want two kitties of my own!

  

I must admit, I do love cats but after loosing my own, when I was younger, it is a little hard to think about getting another.

I always used to think people were a little over the top when I would hear them say that there pets were "part of the family" but I completely understand now.

My cat was a funny character and was definitely part of the family, which is why when we lost him, it was hard to think about getting another one.

I think I'll be ready to get another one soon but until then I think I'll spoil my friends kitties and write a few unique kitty characters into my fantasy stories.

Anyway, apart from playing with the kitties and writing, I do have a little surprise coming up, which I am hoping to reveal next month!

So stay tuned and follow me on Google+ to keep updated with all my present and future projects.

Thanks guys!

Enjoy the remaining bit of your weekend! ;-)

Friday 22 January 2016

Writing vs. The Holiday Festivities Guest Post

Hey Everyone

Along with doing Author Interviews and trying to balance my day job with my writing, I completed a Guest Post at Christmas, which discussing the issues self-published authors face over the festive period.

Although it discusses the Christmas holidays, it can apply to all holidays and outlines my difficulties with trying to remain focused on writing, helpful hints and tips on trying to stay organised, getting creative and using the holidays as inspiration for your stories, plus much more!

It was very trying to ignore the egg nog, and sweet treats, when trying to write the next chapter of my latest book but it is possible (even for someone with such little willpower as myself when it comes to becoming distracted by all unhealthy delights! lol) and I have found some easy ways to do it.


I would like to thank April on the Between the Pages Blog for giving me the opportunity to discuss this topic and I hope to work with her further in the future.

Happy Reading!

Author Interview by Horror Maiden's Book Review Blog

It's the start of the weekend and I'm so happy to kick it off with this Author Interview by Angela on the Horror Maiden's Book Review Blog.

This week has been so tiring with working my full time job, trying to do some more chapters of my Teen Fiction story, 'Love Bite' and my car deciding to throw a wobbly and not start due to the cold UK weather.

So, it was so refreshing to get the link to my Author Interview to remember the fun I had answering Angela's questions.

To find out more about why I write? Where my ideas come from? Future Plans and much more, please click the link below.


I want to give a big thank you to Angela at Horror Maiden's Book Review Blog and I hope to work with her further in the future.

Happy Reading Guys!

Thursday 21 January 2016

The Economics of Self-Publishing a Book Guest Post on A Life Amongst The Pages Blog!

Hi everyone

It has been a few weeks since I have published a Guest Post but I'm happy to say I have finally done another one and the topic is very important for me to discuss.

Many people have their own opinions about self-published authors!

Whether it be:

  • Anyone can self-publish their work
  • The quality of work is not as good as a traditionally published books
  • If you hammer social media sites with your books then you will become a success
  • All of the above and more...

In my Guest Post, I discuss the misconceptions about self-publishing, along with some helpful hints and tips for anyone thinking about publishing their own book (based on my mistakes).

I also explain the basic costs to self-publish a book and the essentials of what you need to include in your budget and what you may want to avoid.

I want to thank Robert for allowing me to have this opportunity on his blog, A Life Amongst The Pages and I hope to work with him further in the future.


Hope you find the post informative and enjoyable to read and if you have any questions or want to join the discussion, feel free to leave a comment on Robert's blog or under this post.

Happy reading guys! :-)

Sunday 17 January 2016

Let it Snow?

Hi everyone!

Well, its official...it's a snowing Sunday in the UK!

It's funny because when I was a child, I used to pray for it to snow because it meant snow ball fights, building snowmen (or snow women to be politically correct! Lol), getting my coat soaking wet when I made snow angels and sledging.

Now, as an adult, that excitement has gone and has been replaced with praying my car will start in the morning and dreading going out into the cold.

At least the cold weather isn't being wasted as I am now on chapter 8 of Love Bite and will be doing a few more author interviews and guest posts before the end of the month.

I was a little bit lazy yesterday and opted to relax a little and watch, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (I haven't seen it in years!) but I have hidden my DVD collection today, got my playlist ready and will be knuckling down today to try and get some of the tasks ticked off on my writing schedule.

So, that's all for now!

I should be posting the new chapter of Love Bite on Wattpad tomorrow, so if you want to know what happens to Luci when she is ejected from the deadly vortex, then give it a read and please show your support by leaving a comment and / or vote so the story can move up the Wattpad search pretty please.


Happy reading guys! :-)

Saturday 16 January 2016

Love Bite | FREE Anime Inspired Paranormal Teen Fiction Wattpad Story Update!

Hi, my magical friends!

OK, so I had a lovely lie in this Saturday morning because it is so cold in the UK and I really wish someone would invite that magical bed that you could do all your business from! Lol

I have written seven chapters so far of my FREE Wattpad story, Love Bite (I will be posting Chapter 7 later tonight) and I'm really enjoying developing Luci's character as she is kidnapped and dragged into a deadly realm with spoilt vampire, Tynan and his troll slave.

There are a few shocks and surprises to come as it is not your usual human kidnapping story and the reader gets to find out more about this new world of darkness and how similar the realm is to the human world, just with a sinister, bloody edge.

You will also find out why Luci is so important to Tynan's father and how much danger she really is in as she delves deeper into this dangerous dimension.

I am hoping you guys will enjoy the direction am taking the story in and please VOTE and COMMENT to support me on my first attempt at writing a primarily Teen Fiction story (even though there is still a heavily predominant paranormal theme to it - I had to stay true to my fantasy roots! Lol).

For more information and to read, Love Bite, Click Here!

Also, check out the Anime images I have posted on each chapter to enhance the readers experience.


Happy reading guys! :-)

Thursday 14 January 2016

Busy Work Week Vs. Writing and Daft Punk Anime Vids!

Hello, my magical friends!

My week has been a little hectic with the demands from my day job, catching up on my emails and sorting out the video editing software I bought for myself at Christmas.

I'm looking forward to trying it out at the weekend because I can't wait to redo my trailers!

I'm hoping to hibernate this weekend and just solely focus on Split Blood 3 and maybe a little more on my FREE Wattpad (@FantasyFairy) Teen Fiction story, Love Bite.

Throughout the week, I have been noting down some ideas for Split Blood 3 on my mobile phone and have been heavily influenced by some of the songs I have been listening to.

I absolutely love this song and it has inspired me to create an unexpected romance between two sub characters (I'm still unsure which direction to take them in but I'm sure I'll be inspired further when they interact with other characters and their circle's demands take their toll):



I am a massive fan of Daft Punk and can also credit them for helping me create a number of story lines and characters in my books.

I think they are such a creative group and I am a fan of electronic music.

I love this video because not only is it Anime styled but also the words are so beautiful and it has a fantasy feel about it,which ticks all my musical and visual needs!

Well, on that note, I will try to do a little more writing on Love Bite and will leave Split Blood 3 until the weekend.

Happy reading guys! :-)

Monday 11 January 2016

RIP David Bowie

It's a sad day when one of my favourite artists dies!

If you don't know anything about David Bowie then here's a little introduction about the British icon...

David Bowie Introduction

David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter and actor.

 
He was a figure in popular music for over four decades, and was considered by critics and other musicians as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. 

His androgynous appearance was an iconic element of his image, principally in the 1970s and 1980s.

Born and raised in Brixton, south London, Bowie developed an early interest in music although his attempts to succeed as a pop star during much of the 1960s were frustrated. 

"Space Oddity" became his first top five entry on the UK Singles Chart after its release in July 1969. 

After a three-year period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by his single "Starman" and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie's impact at that time, as described by biographer David Buckley, "challenged the core belief of the rock music of its day" and "created perhaps the biggest cult in popular culture". 

The relatively short-lived Ziggy persona proved to be one facet of a career marked by reinvention, musical innovation and visual presentation.

My Inspiration

David Bowie was one of my inspirations to become a writer and to create the unique fantasy world's in my stories.

I loved his music, style and was (and still am) obsessed with Labyrinth!



It will be such a loss to the entertainment business (in my eyes) as another uniquely creative artist has departed but hopefully more upcoming artists will use him as an inspiration to create more distinctive and memorable music, styles and films.


Sunday 10 January 2016

Snowy Sunday?

Hi Guys

It's another Sunday and it's not very warm in the UK so I know what that means...snow will be coming!

At least I cannot be distracted to go out if the weather is rubbish so... more work here I come!

I have just finished the pre-production stage of the Split Blood: The Ancient Codex - Part One book trailer and will be starting to look for the actors soon but because we are getting into the bad weather season here, I don't think I will start filming until April.

I will keep you all updated and I'm looking forward to seeing what you all think.

I am also finishing the first draft of chapter one of Spilt Blood 3 and will be sending it off to my copy editor soon so I'm excited to actually get everything in motion.

And lastly, I will be looking for some reviewers in the next few months to give feedback on Wattpad, Goodreads, Amazon and Smashwords, so if you think you would be interested in being a reviewer, please email me to express your interest.

That's all for now! :-)

Friday 8 January 2016

Author Interview by LPC Book Reviews

Happy Friday everyone!

I'm so happy it is the end of the week!

Going back to work has been so tiring this week, along with trying to update my Teen Fiction Wattpad story, Love Bite.

So, I'm happy to announce I have had the opportunity to do another Author Interview by Casey on the LPC Book Reviews Blog.

The site refurbishment looks great and it was fun to answer her questions to reveal a little more about myself.

So, click on the link below if you want to find out more about what I wanted to be as a child when I grew up? Are the characters a reflection of anyone in my life? Do I write full time or part time + Much More…


I want to give a big thank you to Casey at LPC Book Review Blog and hope to work with her further in the future.

Happy Reading!

Wednesday 6 January 2016

Author Interview by Highway YA Blog

Hey everyone

Well, I have had a ray of sunshine on this gloomy, raining British day...I have had the opportunity to do another Author Interview and a Guest Post!

I enjoyed discussing the topic of Valuable Feedback vs Troll Reviews and had fun answering Ericka's questions, revealing a little more about myself, my work and interests.

To find out more about how I research the ideas for my books, what I find challenging about writing this genre and my advice for aspiring writers, please click on the link below.


I would like to say a big thank you to Ericka at Highway YA Blog and hope to work with her further in the future.

Happy reading, my magical friends!

Thundercats Film?

Hi there my magical friends!

Well it's a gloomy Wednesday in the UK and along with having the 'mid week hump', I have been thinking about what I can do this evening (after I finish writing) and thought I might catch up with my Thundercats collection that I bought last month from Amazon.

I could do with something to bring me back to happier times, since this diet is draining me already (I haven't even got to the end of the first week and I already want to raid the biscuit tin! No willpower at all but I am going to try, for the fifth time, to complete this three month detox...let's see if I make it to the end of the week first! lol) and the weather isn't very nice!

Along with trying not to go to the supermarket and buy every chocolate cake in the dessert section, I did chuckle today about my naivety when someone told me there was going to be a Thundercats film and I tried to convince my brother it was true, a few months ago!

In my defence, I saw a trailer and it was extremely believable but I was broken-hearted when I found out it wasn't true.



However, it then got me thinking...if there was going to be a Thundercats movie, who would I want to play the following characters:

Lion-O: Gerard Butler

Tygra: Hugh Jackman

Panthro: Vin Diesel

Cheetara: Charlize Theron

WilyKit: India Eisley

WilyKat: 
Kodi Smit-McPhee


Who would you choose to play the main characters?

Happy Wednesday! :-)

Monday 4 January 2016

Author Interview by Katie's Corner Blog

Happy Monday, my Magical Friends!

I feel like I have been in a dream world for the past two weeks and have come crashing back down to earth with a big bang!

The holidays have been amazing with communicating with readers and participating in author interviews and guest posts with some amazing bloggers but now I have gone back to my day job, and have to go back to writing part time, I am a little sad. :-(

I love teaching but it has been amazing to work full time on my writing and hope I can continue to be organised with my work and communicating quickly with the readers, fans and bloggers, so I can continue this passion and reveal more about myself through the interviews and guest posts.

On that note, I am happy to announce I have had the opportunity to participate in another Author Interview on Katie's Corner blog and would like to thank Katie for the time to go through the fun questions!

Click below to find out more about the first story I ever read and the impact it had on me, the first book I wrote and what my desk currently looks like.


I would like to say a huge thank you again to Katie at Katie's Corner Blog for the opportunity and I hope to work with her further in the future.

Happy Reading!

Saturday 2 January 2016

Teen Fiction Wattpad Story | Love Bite

Hello Fellow Wattpaders!

The time has come for me to announce my new Teen Fiction Wattpad Story, Love Bite!

Each week I will post one or two chapters with the aim to complete the story by the end of January in my New Year's writing challenge.

Synopsis

Lucia has reluctantly moved to the rural town of Umbra, in the English countryside, to live with her absent father, after she found her aunt Sofiya in the alley, at the side of their London home, bloody and bitten. 

Struggling to cope with village life, an overprotective father, a new prim and proper stepmother and her 'Mean Girl's step sister, the fifteen year old vows to runaway back to London, to look after her auntie, on her first day in the small town. 

But what happens when she meets mysterious, geeky neighbour, Damien and he accompanies her into the woods? What secrets does the forest hold that connects the small town to her life in London and the brutal attack on her beloved aunt?

If you have any questions about this story, please feel free to leave a comment under this post or on the story on Wattpad and if you enjoy a particular chapter and want to support me then please vote for it and suggest to your followers (those who enjoy this genre).

Hope you enjoy it! :-)

New Wattpad Teen Fiction Paranormal Story!

Hey Wattpaders!

It has been a while but I have been trying to check my Wattpad account, when I get the chance, and have seen some amazing stories that I will be adding to my reading list shortly.

I absolutely love Wattpad because there are so many amazing writers on there and the communities and clubs have really helped me with ideas, curing my writers block and getting to know a vast array of readers and writers from all around the globe!

I have got the writing bug again and have set myself a crazy challenge (I have no idea why I would put this pressure on myself but let's see how it goes?! lol) - I have decided to try and write a teen fiction paranormal story, to launch exclusively on Wattpad, to be completed by the end of January.

I have already started writing it and have set the scene for the main female lead but I have so many ideas that I am just in the process of trying to cut them down so I don't overload the reader with my wacky dark fantasy storyline.

I will be posting the first part on Wattpad tomorrow, so stay tuned and let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment on the story and if you like it, please support me by voting for it because the more comments and votes a story gets, the more attention it will receive from Wattpad and the further up the search page it will go to attract more potential readers.

I am still writing Split Blood 3 but will be taking a break to complete this challenge. Split Blood 3 will still be published on Amazon and Smashwords in April.

So, if you like a Teen Fiction story with a little dark fantasy edge, which will transport the reader from the human world to a fantasy world of vampires, lust, a dark hidden secret and an age old war between mythical beings to stop the extinction of earth, then this could be for you...


Happy reading my Magical Wattpad Friends!

Friday 1 January 2016

Sex and Violence in YA Books on the Prone to Crushes on Boys Blog!

Hey Everyone

How is your first week of 2016 going?

For myself, it is the first day of trying to post the author interviews and guest posts, I participated in last week, whilst trying to continue with writing Split Blood 3.

So, I apologise if some interviews or guest posts are not published immediately this week but it is because I have had a lot that came back at the same time and I want to give each amazing blog their own space on my site to shine!

On that note, I have completed a Guest Post on the Prone to Crushes on Boys blog last week and the topic I chose to discuss was, 'Sex and Violence in YA Books'.

I chose this topic because I have read a few books that many other readers have commented, in their reviews that these books are:

"Not suitable for those under 16 years"

"It is glorifying abuse in relationships"

"There is unnecessary violence which has been put in for shock value"

"It is not romantic, it is creepy and stalker-like!"

I love reviews because everyone is entitled to their opinion and I find reviews helpful when they provide constructive criticism but I find this topic especially interesting because of the age range of the YA audience and how the genre has developed over the years with the popularity of books such as Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games.

Please check out my Guest Post by clicking on the link below and feel free to join in the discussion either on this post (in the comments section below) or on the comments section on the Prone to Crushes on Boys blog  


I would like to say a big thank you to Sonyetta at the Prone to Crushes on Boys blog for the opportunity and hope to work with her further in the future.

Happy reading my magical friends!

Author Interview by A Cheeky Book Addict's Thoughts!

Hey everyone!

Well it's the first day of 2016 and I am happy to announce my first author interview of the year.

Amongst the celebrations of yesterday, I have been able to start the year as I mean to go on by focusing on my work and regularly updating my social media sites.

I am happy to say Sophie at A Cheeky Book Addict's Thoughts blog has given me the opportunity to do an author interview and I must admit it is a nice start to the year.

Click below to find out more about why I became an author, my writing style and the books I am aiming to read this year.


I would like to say a big thank you to Sophie at A Cheeky Book Addict's Thoughts blog for the opportunity and I hope to work with her further in the future.

Happy New Year everyone!