Guest Post: The Process by Rob McShane

I am right in the middle of a process (yep, another one! Ain't life great?) This process goes directly to my writing or, more appropriately, how to get my writing out into the public domain so that people can read it....and buy it!

There is so much information available to help with this process that you would think this to be easy. Not so, well at least not for me! I have now read so many blogs and help pages that it all seems one large swirling mass of mist. Where do you start? What is all this branding business? How can I know before I start what will work? What do I want my on-line persona to be, or reflect? What words shall I use to build myself and my brand? What ideas do I use, what do I discard? Which social platforms shall I get involved with? How do I get involved? What message do I want to send? How do I want to send it? How much time do I have in a day? etc. etc. So many questions....and the more I look for answers, the more questions I come up with!

One of the best things I read during this process was along the lines of 'If you want to be a writer, write. If you're talking about what you write, how much, or that you are a writer, you're not!' I'm sorry I can't actually quote it, or tell you who wrote it as it is sitting somewhere in the plethora of docs in the 'First steps research' file!

Point being, it got me thinking hard (again!) about how much we can over think this process. So, I have decided to make it simple. I am going to stick to writing my books and maybe the odd short story (good practice to keep my writing concise!). I'm going to need a platform and, on the advice of Linzé and many others, a blog seems to be the way to go, so I'm going to set up a blog. Then I'll pick one social media platform and start to 'get the word out' there. 

The main idea is to start. As with my writing, I believe the next steps will naturally appear out of the mist. I now have the overall plan and as I move things will pop up, characters will appear, sub-plots will develop and the process (like my books) will almost take on a life of its own. Isn't that also just like real life?

How exciting!


Author Bio:

Following a full life as a classical musician, actor, nurse, midwife, salesman and marketer, Rob now spends his time writing and dealing with the challenges of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and life. He has written many articles for various publications and web sites but now concentrates on his books. His first book, The MageStaff, a fantasy novel with a deeper message, is now available and he is busy with both a prequel and a sequel (on the request of his readers). He has plans for further novels once his fantasy series is complete.


Links:
The MageStaff is available at: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/325170
or on kindle at: : http://www.amazon.com/The-MageStaff-ebook/dp/B00BF09MY4/ref=tmm_kin_title_0
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12903360-the-magestaff

Linzé's note: Rob is a member of the Pretoria Writers Group and the two of us had met at our favourite coffee shop, Cherry Berry Café in Centurion. I was writing, he was playing the piano in the shop and we got talking. And we haven't stopped since!

Guest Post: The Writing Life or Lack Thereof by Vanessa Wright

I woke up this morning to find that my muse had packed up and left the building. She seems to be doing this a lot lately and heaven only knows where she disappears to; only to come sauntering back with a healthy tan, an umbrella drink sporting psychedelic colours and a straw concoction on her head. She is a whimsical, elusive creature.

At times I think she would be happier and more forgiving if I travelled the world, sitting in dark corners, plying my talent. Alas my shoestring budget would be strung to non-existence and the bullion ship I have dreamt of my whole life would sink in the harbour.
Thus my solution remains to apply ample butt to chair and bleed words; at this stage even nonsensical ones would do. The litany of advice runs through my head: write what you know, write what you observe...just start writing damn it! There is nothing as daunting as a blank screen or a blank canvas for that matter.
The best advice I have ever received (thanks Jeff Goins) is to just write something on that empty screen, even if it is just CX&&*()*&%%$$%#5- it’s a start and no these aren’t swear words in ancient Gaelic. Eureka - the screen isn’t blank anymore and you have made a start to a magical story where people speak in symbols and chocolate rivers run through villages. Keep at it even if you never use the story again; it has transported you to that area of your brain where you paint with words...... and you have kicked the elusive muse to the kerb and told her in no uncertain terms to sit still and be quiet.
Happy writing one and all! Remember that arguing with your characters is only the beginning to a mad cap world filled with wonder.

Bio

46 year old visual artist and home body, suddenly decides to pick up her writing again and just couldn’t stop.
Vanessa has been published in two anthologies: My Kort vir Jou Sop and Write for Light.
She is currently in the process of self publishing a short story book called Twisted as well as putting the finishing chapters to a crime thriller called Artifacts.

Connect with Vanessa
Twitter
Blog where you can enjoy various short stories
Facebook 
Pinterest
Story board for Artifacts

Guest Feature: Stand out in the crowd with Book Trailers by Amanda Robins

You have spent hours pouring your energy into writing your master piece aka your book. Even more time and money was spent formatting, editing, proof reading and all those other little bits and pieces that needed to be done to get your book ready for the world to read.
Now you are ready to release your book into the market place but there is one problem. So are 1,000s of other authors on the exact same day as you. That’s right no matter what day you choose to publish your book there will be 1,000s of fellow authors doing the same thing resulting in over 15 million books just THIS YEAR!
Don’t be disheartened. There are ways very clever authors just like you use to stand out above the rest. One of these powerful ways is by creating a book trailer to give readers a sneak peek into your book.
Just take a look at the author and eBook groups on Facebook where people post their books to gain exposure. Each post has the book cover, blurb and a link to Amazon.com. They all look the same. Now imagine how your book can stand out in the crowd with a book trailer.
As people scroll down the page they see your video and within less than a minute they have experienced your book the way you envisioned it.
Let’s not forget about the power of YouTube with 163 million unique visitors each day. Imagine the potential of getting in front of just 1% of all these visitors not to mention Google loves YouTube videos (they do own the site after all) and next thing you know you are at the top of Google search results as well.
A book trailer is also a fantastic tool for your Amazon Author Central page.
It is the little things that you do that will increase your book sales and your author success.
Book Trailers are an amazing tool that even the great Stephen King uses to promote his books.
These are just a handful of ways Book Trailers can be used to increase your book’s success. It is now time for you to become a smart book marketer and use your own book trailer to promote your master piece.
If you are ready to get your very own book trailers simply visit http://www.MesmerizingBookTrailers.com for a very special offer.


Author Bio
Amanda Robins is the author of the International Best Selling Book “How To Turn On A Tired Housewife”. Amanda credits her book trailer to the quick success the book has had. She is now on a mission to help fellow authors create mesmerizing book trailers to boost them to the top of their field. For more information about Amanda and her book please visit http://www.TiredHousewife.com

Guest Photographer Francois Venter: Lesotho - The People

 

Lesotho is a land of contrasts in many forms. On the one side you have the farmlands where a man only wants to provide for his family and on the other side you have this vast wonder of technology. The Katse dam.

Most of the land in rural Lesotho is probably being utilised by sustenance farmers. Having said that you only really realise what that means when you start moving around the countryside. Most people are regarded as doing well when they have gumboots, a balaclava, a blanket, a donkey and a dog. If you have a horse and a few cattle, then you are wealthy. It was very interesting that there were no cats around. It is also clear that the dogs are just as “poor” as their owners. Most of them have shaggy coats, grave signs of inbreeding is visible, and in general they are totally under fed.

The contrasts in Lesotho are evident everywhere. These contrasts are sad, beautiful and inspiring - all at the same time.

Blog Tour: Collateral Damage by Frederick Lee Brooke

About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!

About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards or an autographed copy of Collateral Damage! Here's what you need to do...

1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
2. Leave a comment on my blog

That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Collateral Damage tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

About the book: When Annie Ogden’s ex-boyfriend Michael Garcia reappears, she has to confront a lie dating back to her time in Iraq. Will she go back to hot, passionate Michael, who has developed a disturbing interest in meth, or stick with her pudgy PI partner and fiancé, Salvatore? The calculus changes when Michael is arrested for murder. When Salvatore refuses to help investigate, Annie is forced to try to find the killer herself. Meanwhile her sister’s creepy husband, Todd, is making more of an ass of himself than usual. Annie's problems with three obsessive men suddenly pale in significance when she realizes the killer has set his sights on her. Having changed his mind about helping her, Salvatore finds himself in a desperate race against time, the only man capable of finding the killer before it’s too late. Get Collateral Damage through Amazon.


About the author: Frederick Lee Brooke is the author of the widely-acclaimed Annie Ogden mystery series - Doing Max Vinyl, Zombie Candy, and Collateral Damage. The books do not have to be read in order.
Having lived in Switzerland for the past two decades, Brooke has taught English, run a business and learned French, German and Italian. You can find him online at www.FrederickLeeBrooke.com. Sign up for his newsletter and read all about his travels, recipes, and upcoming works! Connect with Fred on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or GoodReads.

a Rafflecopter giveaway