The Day after the Night before

Last night was the launch of Géra's Gift at Cherry Berry Café in Centurion, and I had a blast. There were not so many people as expected, but none of us let that stand in our way. We laughed and talked and made new friends, all the while catching up with the friends we already had.

Not to mention the nice food, the great coffee and the terrific cheese cake that graced the tables. I even got to take some home with me. And if I may be so bold as to quote Martin (the one on the dedication list in Géra's Gift), 'some things taste even better the day after'. He was referring to the cheese cake, and I heard no complaints from anybody else.

Will I hold a book launch again? Or even a book signing? The answer is yes. To both questions. Not only to promote the book, but meeting new people and talking about books, writing and even publishing is always an opportunity that I don't want to miss out on.

The next book in the series is in the final editing stage. Keeper of the Dragon Sword is going to give me nightmares for the coming weeks, until I get it done. Better get back to it, then.

Butterfly or Broomstick: Internet Marketing

Whether it is a butterfly or broomstick remains to be seen. I have started an online internet marketing course, and have immediately found myself out of my depth. Of course, the lingo is familiar, and I know about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) writing, having a quite a bit of that myself. What I do find difficult, or rather unfamiliar, is the actual marketing part. Not only was it interesting to learn how many South Africans do not have internet access from a computer, it was amazing to learn that our nation love our social media sites. This is mostly through the use of mobile phones, since everyone has one of those, it seems.

The latest attempt to make me feel quite ignorant - after no fault of the course itself, I assure you - was the homework assignment to create a website. Not only did I feel really stupid, having never even attempted this before, I only had to read the blogs to realise that my fellow student were struggling as well. And most of them are half my age!

After gathering courage, by all means I could, I registered on the prescribed website that allows free webpages to be hosted there, and tried my hand at creating a webpage of my own. And to my greatest joy, and not without the prerequisite amount of cursing, I got it designed, saved and published. And all that on my first attempt.

It is active but not yet complete, as I am still learning, but take a look - here - and watch my progress as I learn more about internet marketing.

Géra's Gift launches in Centurion, South Africa

Where to find Géra's Gift

Géra's Gift, the first book in the series of the Grandmasters, is now available at these websites:

1. www.linzebrandon.com

2. www.amazon.com

3. www.barnesandnoble.com

or contact your local bookstore.

Back of Book:

T’ara knew that loving Géra would never be simple, but when his life’s ambition is within his grasp, she could not stand in the way of his dream.

Thrown together in battle for the very survival of their people, the young magicians quickly realised that they had been suffering for the choices they had been forced to make in the past.

But when T’ara willingly submitted to a ritual that could cost her her life, Géra knew that they had come to a crossroads. The problem they now faced was whether this sacrifice could gift them a future together or separate them forever?

Géra's Gift - for real!

I have not yet stopped smiling since I got my first copies of Géra's Gift this week. While it is not yet available to buy, it will be available as hard copy and e-book versions, from the publisher and Amazon.

It might take a while for the realization that I am now a published writer to sink in, but until then I am like a kid with a new toy.

I don't think the thrill is going to wear off very soon.

Butterflies or Broomsticks: The Discipline of Freelance Writing

Today it will be a broomstick. Since starting to do freelance writing, I have come to realise that writing takes a lot more discipline than I thought when starting out. Deadlines are the essence of freelance projects and sometimes it takes more out of me than I would care to admit. Since I do the writing part-time (yes, I do have a full-time job) sitting down in front of my computer after a hard day at work, is not always easy.

Aside from the deadlines that loom over my head, the subject matter can be either difficult to just be excited about, or takes a few hours of research to get the facts straight. And then I still have to write the required number of words for each article. The hardest is where the project requires many articles on the same subject, and then the creative juices tend to run a little thin after a while.

What I did learn, and really appreciate, is the discipline. Yes, I know, I am repeating myself here, but this time it is not a complaint. It takes practice to keep writing fit, and when a creative thought does enter my mind, it is not that difficult to sit down and do an outline or plot for a new story.

Practice makes perfect, and keeping to my target of 1000 words per day (in any month other than November) is not as hard any more.

So if you are freelance writing, or writing your own short stories (or novel) take the time and write your word target everyday. You will find that soon enough it is part of your routine and the discipline so deeply ingrained that the novel gets written much faster than you planned for.

Surprise Visitors

While having coffee with friends today, the coffee shop where we like to meet had three surprise visitors today. These three lions cubs, two males and a female, are just seven weeks old and they stole our hearts right away.

They came to the city to visit their vet and while their owners had breakfast, these cuties were quietly crawling into our hearts. Used to human touch they let us pet them, and didn't mind the camera flashes too much.

They had just fed are were lazy only like a well-fed cat can be. But they did play around a while and then cuddled up again to do what baby animals do - sleep. They are cute now, but soon they will become the predator that earned its fearsome reputation for a reason. Enjoy, we did!