tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29480108834069631832024-03-12T21:52:39.577-07:00E's blogE. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.comBlogger334125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-50047863712187959692016-02-15T13:33:00.000-08:002016-02-15T13:33:01.577-08:00Moondancers--A Journey In Self-PublishingI haven't blogged much lately, and usually when I do blog it's marketing tips and information for writers. Today, however, I am blogging about my new book, <i>Moondancers</i>.<i> Moondancers</i> is not only the first book in my new paranormal series<i>, The Beautiful Creatures of Beverly Hills</i>, it represents my initiation into self-publishing.<br />
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While I have tested the waters with a few shorter works, and a novella under my pseudonym, Sal Conte, <i>Moondancers</i> is my first push into taking over all my publishing and marketing. I am very excited about it, although I must tell you, launching a book all by yourself is a lot of work. I'm sure many of you reading this are already self-published and are probably saying "Tell me something I don't know." I knew it was hard, but I didn't know it would be THIS hard. But I have to tell you, while I don't have any real sales yet (today February 15th is soft launch day), I am feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment.<br />
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I think I've written a pretty good book. I found two excellent editors to tighten it up, and help proof read it. I I designed and created my own cover (something I have absolutely no skill at) buying stock at Shutterstock and creating the finished cover in Canva. I think I did a damn good job.<br />
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I think I've crafted a pretty good product description. My book launches on Amazon first, and within the next few weeks it will be on many other platforms. I did flirt with the idea of making it exclusive to Amazon's KDP program, but decided to see how the book fared in the world at large first. I can always circle back and make my book exclusive to Amazon at any time. For now, I can gather information on how to do a wide release. Information I will share with you.<br />
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I've been building up my mailing list (something I blog and tweet about), and have put together a kickass launch team from my list. The launch team has been charged with making sure the book has some reviews up on launch day. As of right now I have 22 mostly 4 and 5 star reviews. I've put together a marketing plan that goes into full swing mid-March. And I started implementing the plan over the past weekend.<br />
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So, here I am world, diving in head first into the deep end of self-publishing. I've been talking the talk, now it's time for me to walk the walk. I think I'm ready. I know I will fall on my face in some areas, but as long as I'm learning and growing, I'll be okay.<br />
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Want to go moondancing with me? If you're into paranormal and romance, and you'd like to check out my book's Amazon page, and maybe even buy a copy, here's the link. Even if you don't buy, I'd love to hear your questions and comments. <br />
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Here we go!<br />
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E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-12344254214727094872015-10-05T11:40:00.000-07:002015-10-05T11:40:15.395-07:00What Business Are You In? (Turning Pro Part II)In my last post, I posed this question to indie authors: Are You Ready To Turn Pro? This current post continues my challenge to authors who want to more than get published--they want to earn a living with their writing. I will tell you as hard as it is to do, it can be done. I am a professional writer. I have earned a good living as a pro-writer for more than twenty years. But enough about me. This particular post is to help you distinguish the business we're in from the business of traditional publishers. This is a key component to having a professional career--understanding the competition.<br />
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First, a short history of paperback books. While the paperback or "dime store" novel first appeared in England in the 19th Century, paperback novels began being sold here in the US in the late 1930s when Robert de Graff started the company Pocket Books. Yep, they've been around that long. At first nobody cared, but when paperbacks took off in the late 40s, publishers started decrying that these books with their colorful often titillating covers were damaging the publishing industry. Then the media got involved, going so far as to attack the type of person who would read a paperback novel. This hysteria reached it's peak in 1952 when Congress got involved with the House of Representatives Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials. The publishing industry was so concerned with the rising sales of paper novels that they tried to get them all declared pornographic. Crazy, right?<br />
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Obviously that didn't happen. But doesn't this hysteria sound familiar? In the 80s the movie industry claimed the advent of the VHS was going to destroy the industry. Get it??? Innovation frightens industries not yet equipped to deal with it. I am telling this story because if you are an indie author, this debate over paper and digital books has nothing to do with you. My advice, don't engage in it. It's not our fight. I am not here to decry the end of the paper book industry. I like paper books. I read lots of paper books. But I am in the ebook business, and engaging in this debate takes precious time away from what we should be doing--writing and selling books. Just because a guy works for McDonalds doesn't mean he can't enjoy and In N Out burger. <br />
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Okay, let's get off the touchy subject, and talk about the business you are in versus the business the Big 5 publishers are in. Big 5 publishers are in the homerun business. It's no secret that one Harry Potter novel supports all the other novels that don't become hits. Big 5 publishers sign a number of authors, and publish a number of books each month in search of the homerun. When a book is in book stores for three months and the numbers (there's that word again) determine it's not going to be a homerun, the publisher abandons support of that book, putting their money behind the books that seem more promising. They are hedging their bets. They are sitting at the roulette table spreading their money around. They know that out of the 400 books they publish this year, one of them will break out.<br />
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This is why if you've been with a traditional publisher, they either stop supporting your book, or they never support your book. Research to them indicates your book is a loser, so they cut their losses and move on.<br />
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We're not in that business. At least, I'm not. While I'd love to have a homerun. I don't need a homerun to survive. They need it so they can have a profit after all the losers. But I am sitting at the roulette table betting on ONE number. MY OWN. My job is to make MY number look as attractive as possible. I don't need a homerun to earn a living. I can live off a base hit, a double and I'm dancing in the streets, and a triple for me is bigger than a homerun for them, because I don't have to share the wealth. What I'm saying here is publishers are not your competition. But you do have competition, and lots of it.<br />
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So who is your competition? Authors who write in your genre. If you write thrillers, it's Lee Child; YA paranormal, it's Cassandra Clare; horror, it's Stephen King. But here's the beauty of it, there are enough readers around to share. So while James Patterson may be your competition, James Patterson readers don't only read James Patterson. They read lots of authors. Why not you? If you buy a Chevy you're probably not going to run out and also buy a Ford. But in our business you can! In our business, your competition can be your greatest resource. All we need to do is hang out where our competition hangs out. How do we do that? That's for another post. <br />
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So, what business are we in? We are in the business of identifying our competition, and hanging out where they hang out to improve our chances of making sales. The beauty is we don't take business from anyone. Their readers can be your readers and no one suffers. How awesome is that?<br />
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Are you ready to turn pro?<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-38591031869538831112015-09-14T13:42:00.000-07:002015-09-14T13:42:00.620-07:00MATH: The Hidden Key To Your Success As A Writer.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When I was a kid I hated math. It wasn’t that I was
bad at math, yet still today, I shudder at the words “long division,” and
please don’t say <i>fraaaactions</i>. Growing up, that word was like nails on a
chalk board to me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But here’s the thing, for authors, especially
independent or self-published authors, if you’ve been at this for more than a
year, and you’re not yet scratching out a living, you probably need to brush up
on your math skills.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Wait
a minute, E, Most indie authors don’t earn a living. Are you telling me the
only reason we aren’t successful as authors is MATH?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course there are always other factors—talent being
one—but math/numbers is the biggest. How many bestselling novels have you read,
and said to yourself “this book is garbage?” Clearly, talent is not the key to
success. Then, what is? Luck, timing.
But the only factor we can have an effect on is the numbers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The thing is, us creative types don’t want to be
sidetracked by numbers. Math is not exciting (unless you’re my brother. He loves it). It’s exact. It’s finite. There
is nothing creative about it. One and one will always equal two. There’s no
creative way around it. We are turned off because it is drudgery; it is boring.
But here’s the beauty in it—get your numbers right, and anyone can succeed at
this. That’s a bold statement, but I am sticking with it. ANYONE.
Talent is extra. If you have talent, you can possibly become even more
successful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you know the key to Warren Buffet’s success? I
do. I’ve read almost all the books on him. Was he smart, yes, but he was a working
guy who took the numbers seriously. Math. Now he’s one of the richest men in
the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here’s my story, my tale of woe that led me to math
as a solution. My second and third YA/Paranormal novels, <b><i>Boyfriend From Hell</i></b> and <b><i>Earth
Angel</i></b> became Amazon Children’s and YA bestsellers early in 2012. Both
books were in the top 10 at the same time. The only other author in my genre
with more than one book in the top 10 was Suzanne Collins with her The Hunger
Games trilogy. I got lots of attention. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like many authors, I thought I’d made it. I sold 400-500 books every month without a
promotion. When I promoted the books I
sold in the thousands. I assumed it would only get better. I remember having
lunch with a (then new) thriller author. He told me he’d only sold 500
books. I said: ‘Yeah, me, too. I’m
having an off month.” He said “No. I’ve only sold 500 books total.” I thought “Hmm,
maybe his book is not that good.” Cocky.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was doing what many indie authors were doing at
the time. I’d lower my price to 99 cents and promote my books on BookBub. There’d
be a spike during the promotion. I’d raise the price back to where it was
before the promo, and there’d be a tail.
This is where the book continues to sell even at the regular price. The
tail usually lasted two to three weeks. And then, almost overnight, the tail went from
2-3 weeks to 2-3 days. At the same time, BookBub was growing their business.
With more quality authors to draw from, I was no longer guaranteed a BookBub
promo every month. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I began promoting my books on more and more sites to
poorer and poorer results. By 2014 I’d gone from an author who made a living as
a writer, to an author who was throwing more and more money away at bad promos
with worse results.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In my life, I have been pretty good at business. This
is not to brag, but I have made millions of dollars. But for some reason, the
same business acumen I applied to the rest of my life was missing when I got
creative.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At the end of a dismal 2014 I had a come to Jesus
sitdown with myself. I asked myself a key question: <b><i>“Are you ready to turn pro?”</i></b>
Was I ready to go from being another writer with an amateur attitude to being a serious minded professional? I
knew it was going to take work—a lot of it. I also knew I had to reeducate
myself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We authors are infuriated by traditional (legacy)
publishers who won’t accept our manuscripts, or when they do, they won’t
promote them. Guess what? Their dismissal
of us isn’t personal (although it feels that way to us) it’s, as the Godfather
would say, “It’s just business.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Stop worrying about getting their approval. They are in a different business than we are. It’s strange, because it seems like we’re in
the same business, but we are not. The business they’re in versus the business
we’re in is a topic for another post. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here’s what I did once I decided to turn pro:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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spent the money to take four excellent marketing courses. Two of the courses
were specific to books. I studied hard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> * </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">I
began implementing the strategies I learned in May 2015<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> * </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">In
May, my mailing list had 164 subscribers.
Now, it has nearly 2000 subscribers. I’m getting there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> * </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My
novel <b><i>Boyfriend From Hell</i></b> (first book in a series) was made free
summer 2014. It had 11,000 downloads. Good. The summer of 2015 we did the same
thing with much better results: over 25,000 downloads. BFH reached top 10
overall ranking in the free store, something I’d never had a sniff at before,
and the #1 Teen Horror ranking. Since June, BFH is rarely out of the top 20 in
teen horror. Right now BFH is ranked #12 Teen Horror with no promotion.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">All of my books are selling—not great, yet. I am not
in profit, but I have no big losses, either. I no longer participate in poor
performing promos. How can I tell the
difference before I plunk down my money?
That’s a topic for another post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">I am (finally) building my business. As a startup,
growing profits and growing your business may not be the same thing. We writers
complain when we run a promo and it doesn’t turn into a profit. How many millions did Goolge burn through
before they made a profit and became… Google? All startups must spend money to
grow their business. You and I aren’t only authors, we are also startup
businesses. You MUST invest to grow your business. What’s the difference
between spending money wisely, and throwing money away—MATH. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Want to know how I turned my business around? How I am on track to making a profit in 2016,
and breaking into the $100,000 club by 2018? Here’s a better question: are you
ready to turn pro? Then, join me. For
now, just follow the blog here, and I will share what I’ve learned—what works,
and why it works. I will post again in a week or so. Remember, I am a working writer. If you have
questions, ask them here, and I will answer them as quickly as I can. If you discover this post six months or a
year from now, and you have a question, it is never too late to ask. I’d like to keep you from making many of the
mistakes I did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Stop being a writer who says “I’m just happy being
published.” No, you’re not. Don’t you want to earn a living with your writing? Let me know if you are ready to turn pro.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-30059573596288586102015-04-04T09:55:00.000-07:002015-09-16T14:45:26.737-07:00Sal Conte Rides Again!<br />
As some of you know, when I was in college (a long, long time ago, but that's a story for another day) I wrote two horror novels I was lucky enough to get published. The books turned out to be horror classics: <i><b>Child's Play</b></i> and <b><i>The Power</i></b>. The books were published by Dorchester Publishing under their Leisure paperback imprint. I wrote the books under the pseudonym Sal Conte. After college, Sal went into retirement (or as he likes to say, I tried to kill him) and I got on with my career of writing for television.<br />
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But as Sal also likes to say "You can't keep a dead man down," and Sal is now back with new horrific thrills for you. Sal has released a brand new short story:<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Because-We-Told-Her-To-ebook/dp/B00UZC9QRG/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_3"> <i><b>Because We Told Her To</b></i></a>. The early reviews are in and it seems Sal hasn't lost a step. One reviewer called the new story <i>CREEPTASTIC!</i> another said: <i>This story will leave you with chills down your spine.</i><br />
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Help me celebrate the return of Sal Conte by popping over to the story's Amazon page, reading the five star reviews and grabbing a copy for yourself. It's less than a buck, 99cents. You can do that here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Because-We-Told-Her-To-ebook/dp/B00UZC9QRG/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_3">Because We Told Her To</a><br />
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I know some of you need a bit more persuading before plunking down your hard earned cash. No problem, I've recorded a short audio excerpt from the book to entice you further. Give a listen, and if that doesn't win you over, you've got no soul. <br />
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Seriously, if you like good horror, you'll soon be warning all your horror-loving friends to look out for The Twitter Sisters. Go on, now. Give a listen and then grab your copy. I thank you, and Sal Conte does, too.<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-37176888902631209562015-03-30T12:49:00.000-07:002015-03-30T13:54:10.179-07:00Happy Endings<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m a sucker for a happy ending. <i>When
Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, Silver Linings Playbook</i>, are among my all-time
favorite movies. I think we’re all
suckers for happy endings because we all like to know that no matter how bad
things can be they can always work out in the end. <o:p></o:p><br />
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But there’s a darker side of me, a side I don’t like to tap into
very often. That side says<i> no matter how hard you try, no matter how
good your intentions, things are going to go to crap in the end.</i> This darker side of me is author, Sal
Conte. Like me, Sal is a good yarn
spinner, with a good sense of humor, but that’s where the comparisons end. Sal is one dark SOB.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sal has a new short story coming out on April 3<sup>rd</sup>,
and I’m beating the drum for you to come out and support him. Thousands upon thousands of you have read and
enjoyed The Falling Angels Saga. <b><i>Boyfriend
From Hell</i></b> alone had more than 10,000 downloads last year. That’s awesome and I appreciate it, but today
I’m asking you to support the dark side of my brain—Sal Conte. The new story, <b><i>Because We Told Her To</i></b>,
is only 99 cents and from what my beta readers are telling me, it’s one helluva
read. Worth every penny. If you’re a fan
of mine, please become a fan of Sal Conte as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I even recorded an audio excerpt to entice you over to the book's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Because-Told-Her-Sal-Conte-ebook/dp/B00UZC9QRG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1427744786&sr=1-1&keywords=because+we+told+her+to">Amazon Page</a>. You can listen to the
excerpt here:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unlike in <i>Silver
Linings Playbook,</i> Sal can’t promise you a happy ending. But he can promise you a satisfying
read. In some ways that’s even better because
it’s a promise he can keep.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Peace.<o:p></o:p><br />
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E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-31678581698872672892015-03-04T17:22:00.000-08:002015-03-04T17:22:18.648-08:00Creating Engaging Characters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I read many of the self-published novels that
proliferate today’s literary landscape, one glaring flaw that jumps out at me is the lack of character
development. Many newbie authors spend
much of their time on the plot not realizing that plot should always be
secondary to character. Plot, to me, is
like a car, while character is the driver.
You need the driver to get the car where you want it to go--where <i>you </i>want to go. It’s the driver’s choices that make the trip
pleasurable or harrowing. The car is
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I noted for a fantasy writer recently that in J. R. R.
Tolkien’s <b><i>The Lord of The Rings,</i></b> it isn’t elves, and orcs and ring wraiths
that make the story so engaging—it’s Frodo’s moral dilemma, or what I call his
moral conundrum that propels the story forward.
When Frodo comes to realize the responsibility he’s been entrusted with
the ring, he doesn’t want it. It’s the
weight of this and how he handles this and other responsibilities that really
moves the story along. It’s not the
plot, but the characters choices that makes <b><i>The Lord of The Rings</i></b> so
engaging.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Stephen King’s <b><i>The Shining</i></b>, Jack Torrance surmises
his family (wife, Wendy and son, Danny) are the reason he’s in the position he’s
in—a broke, struggling, alcoholic writer.
Taking the job at the Overlook is Jack’s desire to fix his life, but his
secret belief that his family is the reason for his woes (his conundrum) eats
at him until it finally brings him down. Yes, Danny’s ability to see ghosts who
might harm him scares the hell out of us, but it’s his father’s moral conundrum
that propels the story along.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you’re a newbie writer, or even a seasoned vet who may
have forgotten, characters and their choices are the key to creating engaging
work. It’s great having a Ferrari (plot) but without a good driver (character)
it’s just another car.<o:p></o:p></div>
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E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-4479069369101981652015-02-16T08:55:00.000-08:002015-02-16T08:55:03.747-08:00My Brother, My MuseYesterday I talked with my older brother on the phone. We talk just about every Sunday. He and his family live in Virginia, while I live here in Southern Cal. 3000 miles has not kept us from remaining close. Growing up in New York City, my brother was an awesome big brother--annoying as hell much of the time, yet there was something solid about him that helped keep me grounded. Yes, "solid" is the best word I can use to describe him. You always knew what you got with my big brother. He unashamedly marched to the beat of his own drummer. When we were at the age where no one wanted to stick out for fear of being made fun of, my brother stuck out. When all the kids wore Converse or Pro-Keds he wore what kids laughingly called skips.<br />
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I remember one time, back in the day, when sneakers were either black or white, my brother got a pair of red sneaks. You couldn't help but notice them. Kids may have laughed at my brother--I may have even laughed at him--but never to his face. No one made fun of my brother. No one! He received much respect for not being goaded or ridiculed into backing down from the things he liked. I was amazed at how comfortable he was in his own skin back then. That comfort helped shape me, helped teach me not to be ashamed. I don't know where Leonard Adolphus Van Lowe got it from, but I'm glad he had it. <br />
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A.D., the at times sinister, ghostly character in my up-coming novel, <i><b>The Secrets of Love and Death</b></i> was written with my brother in mind. A.D., the first two letters of my brother's middle name. The book in some ways is a love letter to him. Growing up, my brother was among my best friends. Over the next few weeks, I'll be talking more and more about him and about the new book. I had a wonderful childhood because of him, and in the new book I hope to share some of that feeling with you. It is a romantic horror story, so I'll just be sharing SOME of that feeling, as my main goal is to keep you entertained. The cover art is currently being designed. I will keep you posted about that as well. I also have an audio clip I plan to share with you soon.<br />
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I hope you'll stay tuned for my journey to the publication of my next novel, <i><b>The Secrets of Love and Death</b></i>.<br />
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Peace.<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-65481013188547449852015-01-28T07:20:00.002-08:002015-01-28T07:20:34.072-08:00What's In A Name? We Shall Soon Find Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In Shakespeare's play, <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, Juliet says "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." In the scene, Juliet is telling Romeo not to be hung up on names. That may be true if you're a Capulet who has fallen in love with a Montague. However, in titling your book, the name you choose can waylay your good efforts before they have a chance to get any recognition. I'm not saying your title is the key to your book's success. But just like professional looking artwork, and a snappy book blurb, your title is an important tool in getting your book sampled. Titles may not matter to some people, but unless you already have a large following, your title is an important marketing tool.<br />
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I'm saying this now because after much haranguing over title ideas, my good friend and publisher (Chris Meeks of White Whisker Books) and I have settled on a title for my latest book. I think it's a good title. I think it's a very good title. I'd come up with it over a year ago, but not for this book. I had been sitting on it to use in my <i><b>Hollyweird</b></i> series. I'm not great at coming up with titles, so when I do come up with a good one, I save it, even if I don't have a work to go with it just yet.<br />
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I don't think very many indie authors spend enough time on titling their works. I see many new books with the same title as three or four other books--some in the same genre. To me, this is a no-no. Unless your book is part of an ongoing series, I think it should have a unique title. If you're not sure if your title is unique, just type your prospective title into Amazon. If you see it's already been used, and used in the past few years, I think you should move on. I didn't know this back when I wrote <i><b>Never Slow Dance With A Zombie</b></i>. I was new to the game, but I knew I wanted a fun, interesting title. It took me over a year to come up with that title, and when the publisher (Tor) heard it, they new it was perfect. Many readers have told me the title alone has prompted them to pick up the book. Occasionally, I've seen in reviews, where readers have said they didn't like the book. At least I got them to try it. After that it's out of my hands.<br />
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Another thing about that title is if you go to Amazon and type in the words Never Slow.. my title will pop up. There's nothing even close. The title is not only provocative. It's unique. A year after my second YA novel, <i><b>Boyfriend From Hell </b></i>came out, another book with the same title came out. I was so upset, but there was noting I could do about it, aside from complain to my publisher. Even though I was first to market with the title, you cannot copyright a title. Fortunately, since my book is the most popular with the title, it shows up first. My advice to authors is to spend more time coming up with unique and provocative titles. It may take more time to bring your book to market, but I think it's time well spent.<br />
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And now for the title of my new book. It was formerly called <i><b>The Memory Giver</b></i>. I liked the title, but I had my suspicions it wouldn't stick. It was unique, but not provocative enough. The new title is. Drum roll, please: <i><b>The Secrets of Love and Death</b></i>. I hope you like it. It's dead-on perfect for my new book, a romantic-horror-thriller. And if you type it into Amazon, nothing comes up. At least, not yet. Is it a good title??? We'll soon find out.<br />
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If you'd like to read a little bit of the book (the fully edited version will be out summer, 2015), several chapters are available now on<i><b> Wattpad</b></i> under the old title, <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/16164706-the-memory-giver-wattys2014"><i><b>The Memory Giver</b></i></a>. Just click on the link. I hope you enjoyed this post, I hope you like my title, and I hope you'll give my latest book a try. Thanks. Peace.<br />
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Keep Reading-Keep Writing!<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-90763135721015895832014-12-31T11:54:00.000-08:002014-12-31T11:54:55.809-08:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe the year is coming to an end already. For many of us on the author end of the business this year saw diminishing returns for our work. Meaning, many authors I know made less on their writing this year than in previous years. If you're a reader, this has been a banner year, with the quality of self and indie published works increasing dramatically along with some great books brought out by the Big 5 publishers. There's lots of good reading to be had.<br />
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I had an awesome year. And, yes, I made less this year than in previous years, however, I wrote what I feel is my best book yet--<i><b>The Memory Giver</b></i>, a romantic/horror tale featuring two young lovers. I can't say I'm going to knock down any doors with this book, but I'm very proud of it nonetheless. The new book is still in editorial and will be out (hopefully) early next year, but 16 chapters are available free right now on my Wattpad page. If you'd like to end the year (or start 2015) with a solid romantic/horror read click here: <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/16164706-the-memory-giver-wattys2014">THE MEMORY GIVER</a>. I also dipped my toe ever-so-gently into self publishing with the December 24th publication of my funny, snarky novella <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Want-You-Back-Christopher-Meeks-ebook/dp/B00QW6JE5S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1418404620&sr=1-1&keywords=i+want+you+back">I Want You Back!</a></b></i> This is just a start for me. At some point I plan to dive into self-publishing whole hog. Look for more shorter works from me and my horror writing alter ego, Sal Conte, in 2015. For now, my longer works will continue to be published traditionally.<br />
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I'm going to end this post by sharing a post from author, Bob Mayer with you: <a href="http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/2014/12/28/16-thoughts-for-authorspublishing-for-2015-aka-winners-dont-quit/">16 Thoughts for Authors/Publishing for 2015</a>. I feel all authors should read this post. While the piece is aimed at authors, readers also need to know what to expect in the new year.<br />
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Happy New Year, everyone. It's an honor and a pleasure being a writer. I'm so lucky that my job is sharing stories with you. I look forward to a fabulous 2015. and I wish the same for readers and authors alike. Peace.<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-29344046174340662482014-12-14T08:42:00.000-08:002015-03-04T20:39:50.360-08:00It's Not As Deep As I Thought It Was<br />
I've finally done it. After eight years, seven novels, three publishers, many rejections, and much hand wringing, I've decided to dip my toe ever so gently into the swirling waters of self-publishing. If you've read any of my posts for indie authors you'd think I was a self-publishing machine. Think again. This is a first for me and it is daunting. The thing I feared the most turned out to be the easiest. I'd heard nightmarish tales of the difficulties in uploading a book to Amazon. I heard you needed to know how to write code. I heard you needed a converting program. <br />
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After downloading a program to convert my ms file to mobi (the format needed for Kindle) and failing at achieving a satisfactory book to share with the public, I decided to just start the process of signing up to be an author on Amazon while I searched for another, more user friendly, mobi converter program. I went to Amazon KDP and filled out all the forms--easy, added my tax info--easy, uploaded the cover--easy (I'd had a cover designed months ago), and arrived at the section where it says 'upload your book.' I tried uploading the pdf I'd prepared for the converter program. I got a message saying Amazon didn't accept pdfs. It listed the accepted formats and low and behold, one of them was Word document. What the??? What about all that very technical converting I needed to do?<br />
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Here's where it gets really strange: Throwing caution to the wind, I loaded the doc, waited for it to successfully upload. Once the ms was loaded successfully Amazon asked if I'd like to see what it would look like in several different Kindle formats. I held my breath and started with Kindle Fire--perfect. I scrolled my ebook through all the various formats and while some weren't so perfect, all looked pretty darn good. <br />
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Amazon then asked was I ready to publish. "No," I thought. "I'm doing something wrong. It can't be this easy." Yet after a few days of searching the internet and a conversation with my publisher, I discovered it<i> can</i> be that easy.<br />
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So here I am, friends, dipping my toe into the waters. The ebook I'm publishing is a funny, snarky novella I wrote after the publication of<i><b> Never Slow Dance With A Zombie</b></i> called <i><b>I Want You Back!</b></i> I'd been sitting on it for years. Earlier this year, I polished it again, sent it out for an edit, and here we are. It's available for presale at $2.99 here: <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Want-You-Back-Christopher-Meeks-ebook/dp/B00QW6JE5S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1418404620&sr=1-1&keywords=i+want+you+back">I Want You Back!</a></b></i> Why not pop on over and admire my Amazon page, but DO NOT BUY IT because I'm offering the same ebook here free:<a href="http://evanlowe.com/books/i-want-you-back/"> <b>E's Website</b></a>. You heard right, I'm giving the ebook away and I'd rather you try it for free than buy it. <br />
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Not to toot my own horn, but some of my books have been Amazon ebook bestsellers, and not in some obscure category, either. And I've been nominated for the prestigious ALA (American Library Association) Award, so I'm no slouch. I even wrote a short film that was nominated for an Academy Award, seriously, <i>the</i> Academy Award--you know, the show that's on TV every year. But I digress. The free ebook is my way of getting newer readers to try my work. All I want in return is that you sign up for my newsletter for special fans. <br />
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Please take a moment to click on the link above, and stop by my wbesite where you can hear more about the ebook & newsletter, and sign-up to receive it in time to read during the holidays.<br />
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Now that I know how easy self-publishing can be, you will be seeing more shorter works from me published by me. My longer works will still be published by <b><i>White Whisker Books</i></b>--for now. I've dipped my toe into the self-publishing waters and they're not as deep as I thought they'd be. If you're considering self-publishing, do not hesitate as long as I did. It's not as scary as it seems. Go for it! <br />
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If you'd like a short, funny, paranormal read, head on over to my website and give<i><b><a href="http://evanlowe.com/books/i-want-you-back/"> I Want You Back!</a></b></i> a try.<br />
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Keep reading- Keep Writing!<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-77259126597461088312014-12-08T15:06:00.000-08:002014-12-08T15:06:17.130-08:00Hachette, Twitter and You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning I read in Publishers Weekly that Hachette, the big 5 publisher, was going to start using Twitter to promote their books. Wondering if this was part of the fallout of the much talked about Hachette vs Amazon battle waged mostly in the media, I anxiously read the article. After all, many of us use Twitter to promote our books. I wanted to know what Hachette was going to do that I wasn't doing. In the article, Hachette announced they were going to partner with Gumroad on an e-commerce venture. Who the heck is Gumroad?<br />
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I spent a chunk of the morning doing some research, searching for some sage words on who Gumroad was and why Gumroad was a platform we indie authors should be using. What I discovered was a very informative article on Gumroad's blog by developer Nathan Barry. In the piece, Barry touted that he'd sold over $355,759 in books using Gumroad. You know that got my attention. Click<a href="http://blog.gumroad.com/post/73421524134/nathan-barrys-lessons-learned-selling-355-759-on"> HERE</a> to read the entire piece, but stay with me for a few minutes before you do.<br />
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Barry threw me for a loop when he said he didn't use Amazon to sell his books. Here's what he said:<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><i>Before writing books I made all my product revenue from selling iPhone apps on the App Store. Each day I would look at the previous days sales numbers. Unfortunately that’s all they were: numbers. I would be informed “You sold x copies of this app in these countries.” That’s it.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;"><i>Without customer information I had no way of contacting any of my users. That meant notification about updates, asking for feedback, and any other contact had to be done through custom code through the app—something I hadn’t taken the time to build.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;"><i>That’s when it really hit me: the people who bought my app weren’t my customers, they were Apple’s. Apple was just giving me a little bit of money from each purchase, but not the customer.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;"><i>I often get asked why I, as a full-time author, don’t sell my books on Amazon or the iBooks store. The biggest reason is the lack of customer information. I want to sell directly to my customers so that I can email them to ask how they like it, know who is buying it and where, and be able to build on that relationship to make my next book launch more successful than the last.</i></span><br />
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Interesting, huh? Over this past year it has become more and more obvious to me that my email list is going to be my greatest selling tool. It isn't yet. I'm working on it. If you're an author, this blog post is yet another reason for you to continue to not only build, but cultivate the readers your email list. There was a time when I held contests just to get names onto my list. I don't do that anymore. The names on my list are harder to come by now because they are mostly readers I have sought out because they have read and enjoyed one or more of my books. I want to have a relationship with these people. These readers are already fans, and if I do things right, most of them will stay with me and become lifelong fans. <br />
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As authors we often feel this is our journey. We feel it's a solitary journey, but we're wrong in feeling that way. It's a shared journey between us and our readers, but it's shared only if we open up to them.<br />
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That's it from me for today. Food for thought. Read Nathan Barry's blog post, decide if Gumroad is for you, and think of ways to organically grow your email list.<br />
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Keep Reading--Keep Writing!<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-8419211441867539122014-12-01T18:54:00.000-08:002014-12-01T18:54:25.179-08:00A Dose of Perspective For The Holidays<br />
I've been thinking a lot about being an author--indie or otherwise--lately. As authors we are often looking for new ways to market our books in the hopes of reaching Best Seller status, or at least to sell more books than we're currently selling. There's nothing wrong with that.<br />
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This year, for the holidays, I decided to offer up a large dose of perspective for myself and possibly for those of you who are reading this and in need of some. You know who you are. If you're not sure--read on.<br />
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Here's why I'm in need of perspective: My career as an author began back in 2009 with my novel <i><b>Never Slow Dance With A Zombie </b></i>(Tor-teen). The book had a nice bit of success right out of the gate. It became a Scholastic Book of The Month Club selection with an initial order of 25,000 copies. It went on to sell many thousands more copies and was nominated for a prestigious ALA Award. I followed this up with indie published (White Whisker Books) <b><i>Boyfriend From Hell</i></b> and <i><b>Earth Angel</b></i>. Both books were instant Amazon ebook bestsellers, topping the children's-YA ebook list. The only other author with more than one book in the top 10 at that time was Suzanne Collins with her <i><b>The Hunger Games</b></i> trilogy. I was living the dream. Shortly after, my series was optioned by Hollywood for a TV show or movie.<br />
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I was feeling good about myself, but somewhere along the way I lost perspective. I forgot why I became an author in the first place. When my next novel,<i><b> The Zombie Always Knocks Twice</b></i> (Imajin books) didn't sell well I became distraught. Then the next book (the third in The Falling Angels Saga) <i><b> Heaven Sent</b></i>, came out of the box like gangbusters and then tapered off. No more 25,000 book initial orders. No more Best Seller list. And no TV show or movie. I blamed it on my marketing, I blamed it on the market, I blamed it on all the other indie authors who were stealing my eyeballs. The truth is, there's no blame here. These things happen. Some books catch on and others don't. Some books you think aren't worth the paper (or trilobytes) they're written on become million sellers, and other books you think are worthy (like your own, maybe) struggle to sell 500 copies. Bad mouthing the success of others while bemoaning your lack of success is a trip down misery lane, and one not worth taking. Don't do it. It doesn't help. All you can do is keep writing.<br />
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Let's rejoice in the fact that others are having success. And keep writing. When I was a salesman and people asked how could I do it, knock on doors day-after-day, I always replied "It's a numbers game. If I knock on so many doors, I'm going to get in; if I make so many presentations, I'm going to make a sale." What we do is a numbers game as well. So keep writing, and remember why you started writing in the first place. I started writing because I loved it. I still do. I love storytelling and I love sharing my work with an audience no matter how small. Back in the day, that audience consisted only of my mother, my brother and my friends. I didn't think 'this audience is too small.' I loved that they enjoyed my stories. Now, thanks to Amazon, I have readers around the world. I don't have a million readers, but that's okay. I'll just write another book, and if I still don't have a million readers, that's okay, too. I'm grateful for the readers I do have, and for the ability to do what I LOVE without a gatekeeper telling me I can't.<br />
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I have a new book coming out some time next year, and while I'd love for it to do well, I've stopped worrying about it. I will market my books as best as I can, and keep writing. So, this holiday season, as you begin marketing your books for the big Christmas rush, be like me and keep in mind why we started doing this in the first place. If you're anything like me, you're writing because you love it. Don't look at what others have and allow it to steal your joy. Our joy comes from what we do. While I'm writing this for you to read, I'm writing it for me, too, to look at from time-to-time when I start losing perspective again. I'm going to end this piece with a story written by Aesop. <b>The Dog And His Shadow</b><br />
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<i><b><span style="color: orange;">A DOG, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his mouth, saw his own shadow in the water and took it for that of another Dog, with a piece of meat double his own in size. He immediately let go of his own, and fiercely attacked the other Dog to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both: that which he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow; and his own, because the stream swept it away.</span></b></i><br />
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I wish you happiness and great selling for the holidays. Don't grasp at shadows. Let's root for everyone's success and not just our own. And let's keep perspective. I hope you enjoyed this piece. If you have a comment or story you'd like to share with me (success story or not) I'd love to hear it. And most importantly, Keep Writing!<br />
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Happy Holidays. Peace.<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-46260434037270219242014-11-06T09:27:00.001-08:002014-11-06T09:27:40.384-08:00Adventures In Genre-Bending<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">No! I didn't say gender-bending.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My<i> genre</i>-bending adventure is about to begin. I just turned the second edit/pass of my latest novel into my publisher, White Whisker Books. I'm calling this my genre-bending adventure because it was apparent early on in the writing process that this book was not going to fit squarely into any one hole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I started out with two ideas. I wanted to do something about my older brother in which my older brother was a ghost. No, my older brother is not dead, but growing up he was someone I very much looked up to, and I wanted to write about that from a young boy's perspective, a young boy needing to finish growing up without the steady hand of a brother he looked up to. I also knew I wanted to do something like<i><b> The Green Mile</b></i>. What I mean by that is, I didn't want to hit horror over the head. I wanted my book to be more wonder--John Coffey in <i><b>The Green Mile</b></i>--than horror. To this, I added a delightful romance that winds up driving the entire story. Oh yes, and there's a monster. So I've got a thirteen year-old boy (genre, YA), a ghost with a special power (genre, Supernatural), a sweet romance (genre, Romance), the last 100 pages are a thrill ride (genre, Thriller), oh, and the monster (genre, Horror).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For the past few months I've called it a romantic-horror-thriller. I like that, however, the first editor called it a paranormal coming of age story. Sheesh! Confusing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The truth is, these labels only matter in marketing. You want to make sure your book gets into the hands of folks who will appreciate it. If someone is looking for pure horror they may give my book a bad review. Reviews are all important, and early reviews are the most important, so I want to make sure the book is appealing to the right crowd early on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I did a little research on my favorite genre-bending novel, <i><b>The Time Traveler's Wife</b></i> (Sci-fi/ romance), and discovered most publisher's didn't want to touch the book because it was difficult to pigeon-hole. That didn't keep it from becoming a bestseller as well as a movie. On Goodreads, I did notice from the reviews that many of the reviewers were fans of romantic novels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, <i><b>The Time Traveler's Wife</b></i> is about adults and my book is about teenagers. Young love might not be as appealing as adult love. At any rate, now that I've turned it in, I't's got me thinking. Also, while I love the <i>Wattpad</i> cover (the book premiered last June as a <span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/16164706-the-memory-giver">Wattpad WIP</a></span>. Click on the link to check it out) it's probably the wrong cover for romance and supernatural. What do you think? Does it matter? I should probably come up with a new title, too, huh? My publisher already suggested that. What do you think?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I welcome comments from anyone, whether you've written a genre-bender or not. I'd love to hear from readers as well as writers. If you have a moment, please leave your thoughts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, here we go. I'll keep you posted as I lumber toward publication.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keep Reading- Keep Writing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-63660005037492847802014-10-31T13:38:00.000-07:002014-11-08T20:37:44.257-08:00Guest Post from Sal Conte on Turning Up The Horror in Your Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">This is a guest post written by my horror writing alter ego, Sal
Conte (featured in photo).<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’ve been noticing a trend among less seasoned writers of
scary stories. Too many of them are in a
hurry to show you how scary they can be.
They’re anxious to get to the horror. I understand this quite well. As writers of scary stuff, the horror is our favorite
part. But allow me to drop a little
knowledge I received from one Stephen King.
It was something I read a long time ago in his book <i><b>Danse Macabre.</b></i> I need to paraphrase here because, like I
said, I read it a long time ago, before my brain cells were destroyed by wine,
women, and the ravages of time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here’s what he said: To make something really scary, you
need to slowly build the world the horror takes place in. You build your world out of the ordinary, the
mundane. It’s a world that the reader recognizes. It’s very much like his own world. Then, into
this very ordinary world comes the spooky stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the risk of using my own work as an example, in my current Work In Progress on <i>Wattpad </i>entitled, <b><i>The Memory Giver</i></b>, I spend quite a
bit of time in the prologue talking about young Marty’s sister leaving him at
home alone for the first time. We hear a little bit about Marty’s absentee father, that the family was recently
homeless, and that Allison, his sister, is desperate to have a friend. All normal stuff. It’s into this very recognizable world that I
introduce my reader to a glimpse of horror.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Readers on <i>Wattpad</i> have been responding big time to this story, so I must be doing something right. It’s because I took my time in world building
before I (as Stephen King said in <i><b>Danse Macabre</b></i>) <i>brought the monster out of the closet</i> (his words, not mine). So
when writing tales of horror, take your time in world building before you
introduce the scary stuff. Do this well enough, and you just may be the next
great scary story teller.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> If you’d like to have a look at the prologue of our horror
WIP on <i>Wattpad</i>, go<a href="http://www.wattpad.com/53885646-the-memory-giver-prologue-pt-1"> <b>HERE</b></a>. It’s free. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Your Pal,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sal</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks, E, for sharing the spotlight with me.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-84654046421169186902014-10-29T08:39:00.001-07:002014-10-29T08:39:32.419-07:00Your Novel To The Screen Part Deaux<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few weeks back I posted here about a recent phenomenon in Hollywood where novelists are now being allowed to write the screenplays of their novels. In the past, this was unheard of as Hollywood always hired one of their own--often to disastrous results. In the earlier post I encouraged writers to take a look at screenwriting and into adapting their own novels for the screen. You can find that earlier post <a href="http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/2014/10/its-time-to-adapt-your-novel-for-screen.html">HERE</a>. Today I'm going to post briefly on what to do once you have a polished screen adaptation of your novel in your hands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is the hard part because there are no set rules to follow on breaking into Hollywood. But there are three roads I want to tell you about to start you on your journey. The first are services like <a href="https://www.inktip.com/">Ink Tip</a> who connect producers with screenplays. Before writing this post I did a bit of research on Ink Tip and found a few bad reviews. So buyer beware. As a producer, I have used Ink Tip and found them to be quite professional. I also found this very informative<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Hi-All-Has-anyone-had-4510498.S.129567883"> THREAD </a>where a writer asks about Ink Tip and gets some very good advice for writers looking to break in. Please check it out.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The second place to get your screenplays noticed is through contests like <a href="http://scriptpipeline.com/">Script Pipeline</a>. I've never submitted to them and don't know anyone who has, so I'm not endorsing them here, but when I looked them up they seemed reputable. But again, buyer beware. Do your own research. There are lots of contests and lots of scam artists out there. Take your time in finding one you think works for you.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The third and final way to go are agents. A good agent is hard to find, hard to reach, and even harder to get to represent you. Here is an interview with some of Hollywood's top literary agents who represent books: <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/literary-agents-schwarzenegger-lena-dunham-434871">TOP AGENTS</a>. You may not be able to get to one of them, but if you read this at least you'll know who they are and what they're looking for. That's a good place to start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I started working in Hollywood in the 80s. I didn't know anyone when I got here, didn't have a soul to give me a leg up. I knocked on doors--lots of them--and eventually someone answered. In the mean time, I was writing and rewriting and polishing my material. If you're sincerely interested in breaking in and seeing your book on the screen, I suggest you do the same. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hollywood has a ravenous appetite for books, and in today's market many novelists are adapting their own works for the screen. New writers are being discovered everyday. The next one could be you. Often the books Hollywood chooses are not bestsellers, so don't let that be a deterrent. If you'd like to see your book on the screen, start down that road now: Writing, refining, researching and knocking on doors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keep Reading-Keep Writing!</span><br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-73169439213919506182014-10-23T17:35:00.001-07:002014-10-23T17:35:42.119-07:00The Engine That Could--Your Mailing List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those who know me know I’ve been on the 'build your email list' bandwagon for
some time now. As the market becomes
more cluttered with indie writers writing more and more books, the marketing of
our books is going to get harder and harder. Our mailing lists of go-to readers is what can
keep us in the game. As I discovered
over the past few years, building this potent list is not easy. It won’t happen overnight. I’ve been at it for over a year now and my
list is still quite small. My mailing list, however, is like the little engine that
could. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think I can,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think I can,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I know I can,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I KNOW I can!</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">My mailing list is not very deep, but it is
powerful. Here’s a recent story that demonstrates the power of my list. I’d been
posting chapters of my latest WIP, <b><i>The Memory Giver,</i></b> on Wattpad all
summer long. In early September, to my delightful
surprise, the book was featured by Wattpad and (like with Amazon) I noticed I
had a ranking. Just like with Amazon,
the lower your ranking the more visible your book becomes to new readers. The goal, like on Amazon, is to get to #1. The
day my book appeared on the list it ranked just above #500 in horror. Because
of the feature, the ranking began to drop. One day it got as low as #18. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">With Amazon your ranking is based on sales, but
since Wattpad is free, I couldn’t determine what affected my ranking. I did
some research and discovered to improve your ranking readers must “star” the
chapters they read if they like them.
The more stars you can get in a short period of time, the lower your
ranking becomes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">After the first two weeks of my feature my ranking
began to climb. It was still pretty good, hovering just under 100, but I
wondered if my fans on my mailing list could help get the ranking down and keep
it down a little longer. So on Sunday
October 19<sup>th</sup>, I emailed my frans on my list and told them I was looking
for beta readers for my latest work and what I needed them to do to become one--read the chapters on Wattpad and star the ones they enjoyed. They acted swiftly. On October 21<sup>st</sup> <b><i>The
Memory Giver</i></b> dropped to #14 on the list. Today, two days later, it’s still #15. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I have a regular mailing list with 100s of names,
but it’s just a list because I </span><span style="line-height: 20.7000007629395px;">didn't </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">realize how important my list could be
when I started it. A little over a year ago I started another list, my </span></span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">special</i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> list. I only have a handful of
followers on my special list, but look at the power they pack. Imagine if I had hundreds or thousands of
these types of followers. I’ve now
rededicated myself to adding quality names to my special list. Eventually, I’ll phase out the other list. Imagine
if we each had 10,000 loyal followers who bought everything we wrote; we’d be
doing pretty well, </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.4666652679443px;">wouldn't</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> we? Getting
there is not going to happen overnight.
You need to build a list of frans (friend + fan = fran) who listen when you talk to them. You do this one name (one fran) at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">By the way, I sent a similar email to those on my
regular list. Two people (out of 400)
responded. That list will definitely be phased out. We don’t just want names on
our mailing lists, we want friends who we can talk to. Like I said, building this list won’t
be easy, but in a year or two, it will be worth it. So start now to build your mailing list of
special frans one name at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In a future post I’ll tell you how I'm going about
building my special list. In the meantime,
if you’d like to read chapters of the (as of today) #15 horror novel on
Wattpad, <b><i>The Memory Giver</i></b> (it’s free) Go here: <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/16164706-the-memory-giver">THE MEMORY GIVER</a>. If you do stop by, please remember to “star”
the chapters you enjoyed. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Keep Reading-Keep Writing!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-56500171617974168052014-10-17T12:38:00.000-07:002014-10-17T12:38:16.588-07:00It's Time To Adapt Your Novel For The Screen<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tUyxctJ8xwM/VEFuqk_A4yI/AAAAAAAABlQ/Sa6WliP8WJg/s1600/Screenplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tUyxctJ8xwM/VEFuqk_A4yI/AAAAAAAABlQ/Sa6WliP8WJg/s1600/Screenplay.jpg" height="118" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There’s a new phenomenon sweeping the Hollywood
landscape. Authors are being allowed to adapt their own works for the
screen. For most of my career this has
not been the norm. Typically, the studio would
purchase the rights to your book and then bring in a screenwriter or two to “adapt”
it—often to disastrous results, definitely to unnerving results for the
author. Just ask Stephen King about <i><b>The
Lawnmower Man</b></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Recently, however, there seems to be a change in the
air. Authors are being allowed to write
the screenplays for their works, and some of the results have been stunning:
Gillian Flynn wrote the movie adaptation of her novel, <b><i>Gone Girl</i></b>, Dennis Lehane
adapted his short story <b><i>The Drop</i></b>, and Johnathan Tropper
wrote <b><i>This Is Where I Leave You</i></b>.
All three movies have received good notices from the critics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With these successes, Hollywood will be more open to authors penning their
novels for the screen. So what are you waiting for? Now is the perfect time for
independent authors to start working on their screenplays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As an author who’s spent most of my career writing for
TV and film, I can tell you writing a screenplay is a very different animal
than writing a novel. Animal? Heck, it might not even be considered the
same species. If you haven’t written for
the screen before it’s going to take some training, but if you’re a self-published
or independent author, chances are you’re no stranger to training and learning
new skills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Take a screenwriting class, or buy a book on
screenwriting. There are lots of good
books on screenwriting out there. I
trained so long ago I don’t want to steer you wrong on what to read so ask
around. I will tell you Linda Seeger’s <b><i>Making
A Good Script Great</i></b> was a good book for me, and helped me immensely
with the writing and rewrite of the Academy Award nominated short film, <b><i>Cadillac
Dreams</i></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You know you’ve always wanted to see your book on
the screen. It’s time to get to work on
your screenplay. In a future post I’ll
give you a few tips on what to do once your screenplay has been completed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Happy Reading – Happy Writing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">You can read more about Flynn, Lehane and Tropper in this<a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/news/the-drop-this-is-where-i-leave-you-gone-girl-script-1201307006/"> Variety</a> article.</span></span></div>
E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-45803519277842011092014-09-18T13:46:00.000-07:002014-09-18T13:46:01.783-07:00On Writing What You Know<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WUHZ2Dv8vxg/VBs_dbhHxkI/AAAAAAAABkw/gbCX4HUs7kA/s1600/Unicorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WUHZ2Dv8vxg/VBs_dbhHxkI/AAAAAAAABkw/gbCX4HUs7kA/s1600/Unicorn.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They say write what you know. This doesn’t mean you can’t write about
unicorns because you don’t know one. By
the way, I do know a few unicorns and if you want to write about one I’ll
introduce you. But I digress. What this
means to me is write about people you understand; write about emotions you
understand and can relate to. This rule is not meant to be taken literally. It
does not mean to write about J who borrowed your favorite jacket and then sold
it for drug money. Sure, you can write
about this literally, but what’s more interesting is to write about the person’s
emotional state when they borrowed your jacket knowing they never planned to
give it back. Write about your emotional
state when you discover you’ve been duped by a friend. This is what I believe is meant by writing
what you know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With my latest WIP, however, I’ve seemingly moved
backwards and gone somewhat to the literal stage. While<i><b> The Memory Giver</b></i> is a ghost story, at
its heart it’s about the unlikely romance of a pre-teen boy and girl. Anyone who’s seen my WIP on Wattpad (If you’re
interested <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/16164706-the-memory-giver">GO HERE</a>) knows chapter one begins when a girl rescues a boy from
some bullies. This really happened to me--literally. When I was in the eighth grade, I really did
get rescued (in a sense) by a girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Susan was new to the neighborhood, but had quickly
earned a reputation for herself as one of the girls not to be messed with. Not by girls.
Not by boys. Not by
teachers. Susan was the first girl I
knew who smoked. I’d often see her
sitting on her stoop, a cigarette dangling from her lip like a card shark, as
she talked a-mile-a-minute. The way
that cigarette could hang there without dropping off was a fascination to
me. While other young girls who smoked
put out their cigarettes before they got into the neighborhood, Susan smoked
right in front of her own apartment building.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She had scars on her arms, and one on her upper lip
from fighting, I guess. I’d never seen
Susan in a fight, but I’d heard about her beating up boys. Her prowess only added to her mystique.
Beneath the scowl and the scars and the cloud of smoke, Susan was cute. She was no raving beauty, but who was back
then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was in the accelerated learning program, and
somehow Susan was placed in my class.
She didn’t look like she belonged there, but no one was going to
question her presence. One day in home
room three of the popular boys were teasing me.
I can’t remember why. I’d known
these guys since 6<sup>th</sup> grade. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Stop messin’ with my boyfriend,” Susan said. She seemed dead serious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The entire class stopped what they were doing and looked
at her. Susan was a girl of a few
words. She’d had very little social
interaction with the class until then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Who? Eric?”
one of the boys said, as if she’d just told a joke. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Susan stood up.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“You got a problem with that?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Needless to say, no one had a problem with me being
Susan’s boyfriend. The teasing stopped.
I couldn’t figure out why she did it, why she came to my rescue. Even though I was glad the teasing stopped, it
was embarrassing having a girl stand up for me.
Then, to my surprise, after school, Susan appeared by my side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Hi, boyfriend,” she said with a big smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Umm. Hi.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Were you leaving without me? Aren’t you going to walk me home?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Umm. Sure.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Things went back to normal after a few days,
but I never forgot Susan, and I used this incident as a springboard for my latest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This writing from my past is actually a first
for me. I can’t say I’m growing as a writer, although
I can say my material is getting closer to home. In part II of this post I’ll
talk about my older brother, the other person my latest is about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Write what you know means to write about the people
and emotions you understand enough to explore. You can also write about amusing
or interesting situations you’ve been in.
Just don’t take the adage too literally and start writing about you and your
three friends in high school who all like the same boy. That may be interesting to you, but it will
bore us readers to tears. Use the adage
judiciously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Are you writing what you know? I’d like to know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Keep Reading-Keep Writing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-50005505240574136372014-09-12T16:07:00.000-07:002014-09-12T16:07:26.356-07:00Thanks Wattpad!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Todya I received some exciting news. Wattpad has selected my WIP <i><b>The Memory Giver</b></i> as one of their featured books this month starting today 9/12. The book will be on their featured book list for the next several months. That means that during that time my new work will be exposed to many more readers. How cool is that?<br />
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If you don't know about Wattpad, it's a community of readers and writers where we authors can expose our works or as in my case, works in progress to readers to get their opinion and/or approval. So far the response to <b><i>The Memory Giver</i></b> has been outstanding which is why I believe It's been chosen. This is a great honor for me, as it allows new readers to become fans of my work, so...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Thanks, Wattpad!</span><br />
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If you're not aware of <b><i>The Memory Giver,</i></b> my latest novel in progress, it's a romantic horror thriller. If you'd like to know more about it please click here for<a href="http://evanlowe.com/the-memory-giver/"> The Memory Giver</a> page on my website. If you'd like to shoot on over to Wattpad and start reading go here:<a href="http://www.wattpad.com/49492490-the-memory-giver"> TMG Wattpad.</a> If you sign up to follow me on Wattpad you can receive the latest chapters or updates right in your mailbox. If you're a fan I'm telling you it's my best book yet. The language and subject matter are a bit stronger than my earlier books. That's because I'm writing it with my horror writing alter-ego, Sal Conte. And Sal has a foul mouth. Seriously.<br />
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When you read it, please leave comments. Those who leave several will be chosen as beta readers when the entire novel is ready for publication. So, there's a reward for commenting. I believe the book will be coming out in December or January. Leave comments and you'll be the first to get a copy in your hands.<br />
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That's all for now. I hope everyone had an awesome summer. I did. I've been writing <b><i>The Memory Giver.</i></b><br />
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Keep Reading-Keep Writing.<br />
EE. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-29516506304268349322014-07-30T11:00:00.001-07:002014-07-30T11:00:18.949-07:00How Are Your Summer Sales?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a month since I posted about my summer sales experiment. I thought I'd take a moment to catch you up. I know I said I was going to recap after two weeks, but I was still gathering information. If you'd like to read the initial post go here:<a href="http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/2014/06/stir-things-up-to-boost-summer-sales.html"> Summer Sales</a>.<br />
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As of today, July 30th, I've given away just over 8500 books. Most of the books were given away at the beginning of the promotion. I gave away 6200 between June 18th and June 30th. I did two paid promotions in June advertising that the first book in the series was now free. I spent around $100 on June promotions. Not a lot to begin stimulating stagnant sales.<br />
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I don't want to bore you with numbers, but I can tell you this: as I said earlier, the freebie has stimulated sales across the franchise. My rough estimate is we sold between 200-250 books in July. While I haven't reached my goal of 750-1500 sales during the slow summer months, I am selling books during the toughest time of year to sell books. You may recall my May sales (before the experiment) across the franchise were below 100 books. At the rate I'm going I will sell around 600 books between June 18th and September 1st.<br />
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The lesson here is to not sit pat and watch your sales dwindle. Do something to stimulate them. If that thing doesn't work, try something else. For me, 600 books in 2 1/2 months is not a lot. But when I started this experiment my sales were in the toilet, so it looks like the experiment is working.<br />
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Another thing, always keep writing. It may be that<i><b> next</b></i> book that propels you into the Kindle top 100. Stop fretting over the books you've already written and write a new one. One more thing you should know: Sales seem to increase right after promotion periods, and fall off dramatically when you're not advertising. However, if you run too many freebie promotions you will lose effectiveness. I suggest you keep all your promotional activity over a one week period, then stop for a while. I'd say at least two weeks. And don't throw a lot of money at it. You want to make sure you're revenue is higher than what you're spending to advertise.<br />
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I'd love to hear how your summer sales experiments are going--or any ideas you might have to stimulate sales. Let's share the information. Please write me here. Now I'm going back to work on my latest; this one is a romantic horror/thriller <b><i><a href="http://evanlowe.com/the-memory-giver/">The Memory Giver</a></i></b>. This is the big one, the top 100 seller, I can tell ;-) You can read more about it here, and even download a free audio presentation of the book's prologue as well by clicking on the book title above.<br />
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Have a safe and enjoyable rest of your summer. Keep Reading-Keep Writing!<br />
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E E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-4252438559335638952014-06-28T19:07:00.000-07:002014-06-30T08:06:27.806-07:00Stir Things Up to Boost Summer Sales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's no secret that summer represents a sales challenge for authors. People travel, take vacations and spend more time outside. This translates to fewer hours in front of the computer shopping. Two years ago I was caught totally off guard by the summer sales doldrums. In March of 2012 both <i><b>Boyfriend From Hell</b></i> and <i><b>Earth Angel</b></i> landed in Amazon's top 10 Children's and YA ebooks. Both books were selling well. In May and June with no promotion I still sold 500 books, no sweat. Then July hit and--<i>SCREECH!</i> the bottom fell out. Man, was I depressed. Sales eventually returned in the fall, but summer was brutal. Last summer (2013) I made sure to have some promo activity (a sale or contest) throughout the summer to help keep sales from slipping too much.<br />
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Fast forward to 2014. I must admit to you this has not been a good year for me. The final book in The Falling Angels Saga,<i><b> Falling</b></i>, was delayed from debuting in November of 2013 to March of this year. It was totally my own fault. I missed the holiday season because I got side-tracked on a TV project. Despite lots of promotion the new book did not sell well. That was a first for me. Another first, sales across the entire Falling Angels franchise were in free fall, falling from 500 to 400 to less than 100 books a month by May. <br />
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By mid May, knowing that summer was coming, I knew we had to do something. My publisher (Chris Meeks of White Whisker) and I had been putting our heads together since March with new promo ideas. We'd see small blips during the promo periods and then sales would go flat again. So I approached Chris with the radical idea of making <b><i>Boyfriend From Hell </i></b>perma-free. In a long email, I made a compelling argument on how we needed to breath new life into the franchise by creating new fans. While Chris didn't respond to the idea of perma-free, he did think making <i><b>Boyfriend From Hell</b></i> free for the summer was worth a shot. Heck, we weren't selling any books anyway. The giveaway began on June 18th, ten days ago, and so far things are going very well.<br />
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As of this morning we're up to 6200 free downloads. More importantly, we're selling books across the franchise. The final two books in the franchise have been priced at $5.99, a bit more than I would have liked, but <i>surprise, surprise</i>, they're selling. At the start of the promotion no book was ranked below 100,000. <i><b> Heaven Sent </b></i>and <i><b>Falling</b></i> were hanging out around 350, 000. I don't have exact sales figures, but I know we've sold over 100 books in the 10 days. Not great, but far better than where we were. Here are my rankings as of this moment.<br />
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Boyfriend From Hell (free): #194 in the free store #1 Teen Horror<br />
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Earth Angel ($2.99): #40,562<br />
Heaven Sent: ($5.99): #52,987<br />
Falling: ($5.99): #65,903<br />
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Every book in the franchise is now selling. Every book has been ranked under #100,000 for the last 5 days. I feel as more new readers get around to reading the free books they've downloaded that trend will continue. If we give away 10,000 free books, and five percent of those readers convert to sales across the franchise (500 readers Xs 3 books), that's 1500 sales during the slow summer months. If two and a half percent convert, that's 750 sales. Not great, but a lot better than I'd been doing. It also represents 500 new hard core fans for my next book. I'll report on my progress in another two weeks. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Boyfriend From Hell is now Free</span></div>
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I know many authors don't have 4 books available and can't afford to give one book away for three months. The idea is not to do what I did, but to do something daring. Change up your promo patterns. Hold an oddly interesting contest, package several chapters and give those away. If you try something and it doesn't work, try something else. But don't stand pat. Summer sales doldrums can be brutal. Have fun while trying to think your way out of it. Oh... and if you haven't read<i><b> <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/122039">Boyfriend From Hell</a></b></i>--guess what? It's now free.<br />
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Keep reading-Keep Writing!<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-33237772076604102452014-06-16T17:17:00.000-07:002014-08-04T18:34:45.904-07:00An Update from Sal Conte<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello my Peeps. It's me, Sal. My "Pal" E. has allowed me to use this platform to talk to those of you who haven't yet started reading our writing collaboration, <i><b>The Memory Giver</b></i>. What's the matter with you people? Do you realize I haven't published a word since 2010s short story, <i><b>The Toothache Man,</b></i> and before that, nothing, nada, not one word out of me since the 80s. Most of you were little babies back then, am I right? So if I'm writing now it must be because I have a whole lot to say. It was back in the 80s that E. left me for dead, but I promised I wouldn't go into that here, and I'm a man of my word. What I do want to say is <b><i>The Memory Giver</i></b> is turning out to be a fun collaboration. It's a nice combo of our styles: creepy horror with some light-hearted romance and a kick-ass thriller.<br />
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Chapters have been going up on Wattpad Sunday evenings for a few weeks now. Many of you don't like to read in short busrts, so now's a good time to jump in as there's a nice chunk of story up there just waiting to be read. It's enough for you to get a sense if you want to stay with it or not, and after you've read it, I'm sure you will.<br />
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Just click on the <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/49492490-the-memory-giver">WATTPAD</a> link, sign up and you're all set to follow along. If you download the FREE <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/getmobile">WATTPAD MOBILE APP</a> you can easily follow along on your phone or tablet. What's more fun than creepy horror all summer long? Free creepy horror all summer long. Sign-up now.<br />
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<br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-85618637145518449912014-06-02T14:41:00.000-07:002014-06-06T17:19:58.573-07:00FREE Horror All Summer Long<b>HOT FRIGHTS IN THE SUMMER TIME</b><br />
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Here's the book description of my latest work. Scroll down and find out how you can get it free.<br />
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Adrian “A.D.” Dawson. Loving son and brother. Deceased. 1972-1986<br />
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When Turtle Dawson’s 14 year-old brother returns after being dead for two years, he brings with him fond memories of the old days, and a chance at redemption for the entire family. But there's something different about A.D., something dark and sinister, and if Turtle continues to do as A.D. tells him, he could wind up in a world of hurt, or worse, he could wind up <strong><em>dead </em></strong>himself.<a data-mce-href="http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Amazon_cover.jpg" href="http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Amazon_cover.jpg"></a><strong><em></em></strong><br />
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Is Turtle’s once loving older brother a giving spirit? a vengeful ghost? or is he something else all-together? That's what overweight and under-confident Turtle must to discover. He needs to find out soon, lives are at stake, including his and that of his very first girlfriend, Rita Calderon.<br />
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And who or what is the Teddy Bear?<br />
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Written in my typical page-turning style, <em>The Memory Giver </em>is a sweet, romantic thrill-ride. Like most memorable tales of horror, this book is rich in character, and is as much about redemption as it is about the spooky stuff.<br />
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Looking for an unforgettable, horrific treat? Read on, dear reader, read on.<br />
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<b>**Book Blurb**</b><br />
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<em>The mist played against the moonlight like dust motes in the air, yet these motes hung with deadly purpose. The mist drifted toward him, a slow moving cloud. As it neared, the room grew even colder. Turtle hunched the covers up around himself to keep from shivering.</em><br />
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<em>“Close your eyes,” the voice in the mist whispered. “Close your eyes and remember the good times.”</em><br />
<em>The chilling mist was hanging just in front of him now. </em><br />
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<em>“Okay,” Turtle said softly. </em><em>A part of him wanted to run. This was ghostly stuff and he was afraid of ghosts. Yet the comforting words relaxed him.</em><br />
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<em>Turtle closed his eyes and shivered as the mist split into two wishbone-like streams, travelling up his nostrils. He breathed in deeply, a wintry chill stinging the membrane in the back of his nose. It burned, oh, how it burned.</em><br />
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In the vein of Stephen King's <strong><em>The Green Mile, The Memory Giver</em></strong> is a tale filled with the magical wonder found in memories. It's a story of love, loss, adventure, horror, and ultimately revenge.<br />
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<strong><em>The Memory Giver</em></strong> will be available in chapter-by-chapter installments on <a data-mce-href="http://www.wattpad.com/home" href="http://www.wattpad.com/home">Wattpad</a> beginning Monday June 9th, 2014--FREE. The freebies will run all summer long. To follow along, go to <a data-mce-href="http://www.wattpad.com/home" href="http://www.wattpad.com/home">Wattpad.com</a> now. Under the "Discover" box at the top of the page, type in The Memory Giver. That will take you to my page where you can follow along. <br />
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The beauty of launching our latest WIP on Wattpad is you can leave comments, suggestions, or tell us how you think we're doing. We're offering it for free hoping you'll read along, tell your friends. And when the fully edited novel comes out next winter, We'd love for you to grab a copy.<br />
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To help whet your appetite for this romantic, horror, thriller, I've made an audio recording of the prologue in two parts. Yes, I did it myself, so don't look for Lawrence Fishburn. It's crude--you can hear a few slips and background sounds. But isn't that part of the charm of a work in progress? You can download part 1 of the prologue now:<a data-mce-href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/p44mararzopd4dy/The%20Memory%20Giver%20Prologue%20pt1.aiff" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/p44mararzopd4dy/The%20Memory%20Giver%20Prologue%20pt1.aiff"> The Memory Giver Download </a> Or listen to it right here. It's fourteen minutes, so grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and enjoy the latest by me, E. Van Lowe and my horror writing alter-ego, Sal Conte, read by me--E.<br />
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On the recording, I mention that part II will be on iTunes. It won't be because I couldn't figure out how to get it there. Instead, it's right here. It's only about 10 minutes. If you don't have much time, just listen to part II. Download : <a href="https://soundcloud.com/e-van-lowe/the-memory-giver-prologue-pt2">The Memory Giver pt 2 Download</a>, or listen here:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/148786688&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-70128742635381929602014-05-12T05:00:00.000-07:002014-11-11T19:30:44.342-08:00It Could Have Been A Horror Story<br />
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It's no secret that horror author, Sal Conte, has no love for me. The way he puts it, I left him for dead on a beach in Malibu California, as detailed in his October, 2011 guest post on my blog:<a href="http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/2011/10/few-words-from-sal-conte.html"> <b><i>A Few Words From Sal</i></b></a><b><i>.</i></b> Sal has tweeted about my neglect, as well as his distaste for me, saying quite openly that I took his career away from him and he plans on getting it back. As the summer draws near, and Sal's latest project gets closer to its launch date, I'm sure we'll be hearing more from Sal. His feud with me is good marketing. The ironic part of all this is that Sal Conte is my horror writing alter-ego. Yes, I am Sal, and Sal is me.<br />
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Last December I got the idea that Sal and I should write a book together. Writing with the side of my brain that hates me could have been a horror story, but so far, the book is coming along splendidly. I released sections of the book this past summer in chapters on <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/home"><strong>Watpad</strong></a> for FREE. Throughout the summer I downloaded chapters for readers to follow along. If you're not already a Watpad member, please click on the <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/home"><strong>Watpad</strong></a> link, and after you've signed up, follow me: E. Van Lowe. Wattpad will alert you whenever I post something new.<br />
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I created a little video to introduce readers to me, Sal and the book. The book is entitled <i><b>The Memory Giver</b></i>. I'm billing it as a romantic, horror thriller. Please take a look at the short video below.<br />
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And if you get to the end you'll discover I'm looking for beta readers in the US and the rest of the world. I will be searching for beta readers thru the end of November (2014). So watch the video, then pop on over to Wattpad and check out our latest work.<br />
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<span id="goog_19865892"></span><span id="goog_19865893"><br /></span>E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948010883406963183.post-20917424804812019762014-04-29T05:30:00.000-07:002014-04-29T05:30:00.738-07:00Are You Following The Fear?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Several weeks ago, I read a blog post by marketing
professor, Ann Handley, entitled <i>Follow the
Fear</i>. In the post, Handley recounts
how she was invited to speak in front of a large group and originally turned it
down. She didn’t turn it down because
she was busy, or because she’s afraid of speaking in front of large groups. Ann makes her living speaking in front of
groups. She turned it down because the
subject they asked her to speak on—herself—was scary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">The piece got me thinking about how many times along
the road of life I’ve stayed on the path of comfort. I can tell you that leaving New York and
moving to Southern California, where I knew one person, a distant cousin, to
begin a career in writing of all things, was not comfortable for me. Yet, it’s my career that’s given me
everything I have. Most times, when I’ve
ventured outside my comfort zone, good things have happened. Even the idea of putting my TV career on hold
to write a young adult novel turned out well.
I wouldn’t be here chatting on this blog if I hadn’t ventured outside
the old comfort zone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Lately, especially since I’ve been getting older and
more set in my ways, I’ve been opting for lots of comfort. Reading Ann Handley’s piece has given me
pause. If I truly want greater success,
I must be willing to do what those Star Trek guys did and go where no man had
gone before… or at least, where<i> I</i>
haven’t gone before. My question to you
is how willing are you to venture outside your comfort zone? I hope this short piece makes you think about
it. Greater success can be waiting just
around the corner, but you’ll probably have to go beyond your comfort zone to
find it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">I hope this piece makes those of you who are fat and
happy in your comfort zones, think. And here’s the link to Ann Handley’s blog
post, complete with video from the speaking engagement she originally turned
down. I hope it inspires you just as it has inspired me. Thanks: </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.annhandley.com/2014/02/16/follow-fear-bold-talk-hubspot-video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ANNARCHY+%28Annarchy%29"><b>FollowThe Fear</b></a></span><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">I’d love to hear from you about your own comfort zone challenges.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Keep Reading-Keep Writing!<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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E. Van Lowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939506547605827850noreply@blogger.com1