15 Grammar Goofs

Posted in Article, indie author, self publishing, writing, writing tips by R. Lynn

In visiting Copyblogger.com, I came across the article about 15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly. It’s a list of words that seem relatively easy, but can cause confusion if used the wrong way. Unfortunately, even I am guilty of making a few of these blunders at one time or another. However, since I am all about sharing information, I’m passing it along to you, complements of Copyblogger.com.

I hope that it will be a helpful reference guide.

R. Lynn

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

30Nov2014

Get a Free copy of my eBook – Trial of Marriage from 11/28 -11/30

Posted in ebooks, event, self publishing by R. Lynn

Get a Free copy of my eBook – Trial of Marriage from 11/28 -11/30.

Last day free, get your copy!

19Nov2014

In the Shadows of the Onion Domes Book Tour

Posted in blog tour, ebooks, raffle, self publishing, writing by R. Lynn

Visit my other blog, All Abouts Books, to read more about Mary Pat Hyland and her book tour for In the Shadows of the Onion Domes. There’s also a givaway going on so make sure you enter the rafflecopter.

29Oct2014

The Falling of Grace by Marisa Oldham Cover Reveal

Posted in Article, cover reveal, ebooks, self publishing by R. Lynn

Yesterday I attended the cover reveal for The Falling of Grace by Marisa Oldham. I’m sharing it with you today.

Here is a behind the scenes look at how the cover came together, in Marisa’s words:

Shooting The Falling of Grace cover…

As a photographer, and the writer of The Falling of Grace, I had a definite vision in my mind of what I wanted the cover to look like, down to the colors and mood. I knew pretty much what I wanted the model to wear, what I wanted her hair to look like, the time of day to shoot so that I got what I wanted, and what elements I would use to bring in the concept from the original book cover.

My first obstacle was getting in contact with baby Grace. Although, I did think I needed someone older to play Grace’s part this time around, once again my mind was stuck on one idea. Thankfully my dear friend Heather Smith ended up being the angel that she is and helped me move. This sounds weird, but as a photographer I watch people and when I looked at Heather from behind and at her side profile, I knew she would make the perfect Grace.

The second obstacle was finding the perfect outfit. I dream cast Candice Swanepole as Grace and there was one particular photo of her that really stood out to me as “TFOG Grace.” When we start TFOG Grace is no longer a naive seventeen year old girl, she’s a successful woman of 24, she should dress with style, but in such a simple way that it comes off stunning. I pictured her in leather pants. Heather didn’t own leather pants. That didn’t stop us. The day of the shoot, which neither of us even planned on shooting that day, we stopped at several thrift stores and found the perfect pair of faux leather pants…complete with little G’s – for Grace (really it’s cause they are Guess). I literally paid $5 for these perfect pants…which BTW you don’t even see in the shot I chose for the cover – LOL.

So, like I said, we had no idea we were shooting that day. I just called Heather and asked, “Are you busy? Want to shoot today?” Something in my gut told me it was the right day. I was a tad disappointed because I had decided that the mood for the cover should be dark, this book is not all hearts and flowers, and it was sunny, but the clouds were abundant and I knew this would make for a killer sunset.
After very little preparation, off my sister and I went to the “oak tree” to meet the model. Heather got stuck in traffic due to an accident and the clock was ticking and the light was fading.

As I was shooting, laying on the ground, trying to get the shot right, I can’t deny how disappointed I was. None of the shots looked right. I had Heather too far away from me for one, thanks to my sister Carraine this was quickly corrected, but the light was simply hideous. The colors that were bouncing off the field were reflecting onto the tree and making it yellow and I was just downright pissed. I’m pretty sure I got a little teary.

Then…off to our left we saw lightening and heard the thunder. I’m not kidding, it was like a miracle. I’ve never seen a storm like that in the 9 years I’ve lived here and never in my life have I seen a sky like the one I saw that night. I really don’t have words to describe what the sky looked like and how intense it got as we kept shooting. The wind picked up and the sky seemed to bleed (perfection) and Mother Nature gave me exactly what I was looking for. While her pose didn’t come out how I envisioned it, I think it really expresses the angst Grace feels in this book. As you saw I brought in the star element from the original book concept to signify The Falling of Grace.

Here are some STRAIGHT OUT OF CAMERA behind the scenes shots to show you what the sky looked like without post processing.

* * * * * * *

The Falling of Grace is in the process of re-editing and coming soon. Here’s a teaser from the book.

You can connect with Marisa on Facebook

24Oct2014

Using Points of View (POV) in Your Writing

Posted in Article, good writer, self publishing, writing by R. Lynn

When I first began writing, I wasn’t aware that stories were written in points of view. So, what is a point of view? Simply put, it’s a way that writers allow readers to see and hear what’s going on. Point of view in books will contain detail, opinion, or emotion the author wants to accentuate; therefore, a point of view catches the attention of the reader.

The Three Major Kinds of POV

First-person point of view involves the use of either of the two pronouns “I” and “we”. The advantage of this point of view is that you get to hear the thoughts of the narrator, and see the world depicted in the story through his or her eyes. A good novel selection would be Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. The main female character Bella Swan is the narrator; we see things from her point of view.

(Example) “I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city.”

Second-person point of view, the narrator tells the story to another character using “you” and “your”. This is the least used POV. You will see this used more in literature such as a cook book. Although a perfect selection of a novel used this way would be Jay McInerney’s, Bright Lights, Big City.

(Example) “You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say that the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy.”

Third-person point of view is the most popular of the three and uses pronouns like “he”, “she”, “it”, “they” or a name. The narrator isn’t present as a character. The writer may choose third-person omniscient in which the thoughts of every character are open to the reader, or third-person limited, in which the reader enters only one character’s mind, either throughout the entire work or in a specific section. A good third person POV book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Examples:

When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how very much she admired him.
“He is just what a young man ought to be,” said she, “sensible, good humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!”

My preference is third person point of view because it’s what I feel the most comfortable with, and it allows me complete freedom in telling my story. I would like to hear from you. Tell me, what point of view you use in your writing?

R. Lynn

25Sep2014

Helpful Tips for New Indie Authors

Posted in Article, ebooks, good writer, self publishing, writing by R. Lynn

I noted in my prior post that it’s been a year since self-publishing my first romance novel, and I have to admit that my journey on becoming an indie author has been an enjoyable one. Throughout the year I’ve received so much useful writing advice and information; all which has helped me grow as a writer.

In this post I’m giving back in hopes of helping others; my advice for new indie authors starting out would be, have patience and stay committed. Everyone has hopes and dreams of becoming rich and famous, but realistically there’s a chance that might never happen. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in what you love doing, and what I mean by that is whatever you’re passionate about just stay focused on executing your goal from start to finish. When you can accomplish that then you will always succeed by coming out on top.

Lastly, one final point I’m going to share is do not burn yourself out. I did that writing my first and second novel by not allowing any downtime in between — that was such a bad idea and a big no-no. Nowadays, it’s mandatory that I take breaks in between writing projects. Trust me, even something as small as doing nothing for a weekend but being idle will do you a world of good.

Just remember when it comes to your writing routine make sure you choose a non-stressful schedule that works best for you. All things considered, being an indie author is great, and the best part for me is there’s no one to answer to because I’m the boss!

Talk to you soon,

R. Lynn

Website: www.rlynnarchie.com
Email: info@rlynnarchie.com

13Aug2014

Why Is It Like Pulling Nails To Get A Book Review?

Posted in Article, ebooks, self publishing, Uncategorized, writing by R. Lynn

Come December 2014 it will be two years since I began writing. All in all, I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts and stories, but one thing I’m still struggling with is getting book reviews on Amazon.

It puzzles me because my books get a decent amount of sells. In addition, even with giving away free copies I still only manage to get between five to ten reviews. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the ones that take a moment of their time to leave one. Yet, I remain amazed when I see other self-published authors such as myself getting huge numbers of reviews and it really peaks my interest in learning what their secret is in achieving such a productive response?

I do know that Goodreads is a good source and they have groups that offer read for reads or book swaps in return for an honest review; unfortunately, with my busy schedule that option just won’t work for me.

Honestly, I don’t think readers realize just how valuable their input is for authors. Their response helps a lot because it reaffirm if an authors book have gone in the right direction or not. In reading up on this topic I came across a few great tips that readers should know:

Don’t be afraid of being honest. Do, however, remember to be helpful (and not mean). Don’t just say “it sucks” but tell everyone why it sucked.
Don’t give away the ending of the book. You can allude to it very vaguely (“the ending surprised me”) but don’t say specific plot details.
You’re not being graded. Write a review as long or short as you want. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece of art—think of it more as a conversation or what you might tell people you know about this book.
Make sure that you read the book before you review. This seems like it should be obvious but… it’s not.

I can only speak from my standpoint but if you’ve experienced the same or can shed some light on the question I would love to hear from you.

R. Lynn

27Jun2014

Beat the Heat Summer Giveaway

Posted in donation, ebooks, self publishing, writing by R. Lynn

Today, Friday June 27 through Sunday June 29, stop pass and visit Facebook giveaway threads from 76 amazing authors (25 per day). There’s a wide variety of genres and writers… something for everyone; you don’t want to miss out! All you have to do is click here!

See you there:D

R. Lynn

9Jun2014

The Falling of Love Book Tour – Marisa Oldham

Posted in Article, blog tour, ebooks, good writer, self publishing, Uncategorized, writing by R. Lynn

I would like to welcome romance author Marisa Oldham to my blog. This is the first day of her book tour and I will be asking questions about her book The Falling of Love, as well as, thoughts behind her Dreamcast selection of characters.

Marisa, What inspired you to write The Falling of Love?

I’ve had Grace’s story in my head since I was about fifteen years old. I think growing up over the years, watching and experiencing how tragic love can be, was a huge inspiration to me.

Did you know from the beginning it was going to be a series? Yes. I actually did. If I hadn’t broken the story up the book would’ve been about 900 pages or more. I always knew what the beginning, middle and end of the story would be. It just works for it to be a series of 3.

What’s your favorite part of the book? The sweet love between Grace and Ian in the beginning really touches my heart, but I’ll admit, I love the drama towards the middle and end of the book. I think that THAT is what makes readers fall in love with this story and really tugs at their heartstrings.

What was the hardest part to write in the book? Ian’s changes and the turmoil he goes through. What I put Grace through. Sometimes I think I’m too hard on her character.

If you could have dinner with one character out of your book who would it be? Why that character? Ian – the simple answer, because he’s hot and even though he makes poor choices, when he’s himself, he’s amazingly loving and romantic. I wish what I wrote would magically appear before me in the form of my dream guy. I think where a lot of readers will really fall in love with Ian is in The Falling of Grace, book 2.

Tell us about your Dreamcast and why you choose who you did?

Grace was easy to cast – she’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. At first, I was thinking Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, but then my sister said that Candice Swanepoel was a better Grace. I agreed with her because Candice possesses an innocence while still looking like a sex goddess. That is Grace to me. I was lucky to find a photo of Candice when she was about Grace’s age in TFOL.

Ian was probably one of my most difficult to cast. He’s a cross between a young Axl Rose and Jared Leto. I was using Bartek Borowiec, a male model, for a long time, because for young Ian he was perfect, but he’s too feminine looking to be Ian. Jared Leto is more how I picture Ian at an older age. For now, he’ll have to do because there is no one else out there that looks like Ian.

Jaden is also hard to cast because he’s a mixture of guitar player Izzy Stradlin, Trent Reznor, Richard Fortus, and my friend and musician Paul Kenny. They all could pull off playing Jaden. I chose Izzy for this dream cast. I may choose one of the other gorgeous men for the TFOG dream cast.

Michelle is the most difficult of them all to cast because of her wild curls. I see her with the face of Miranda Kerr, but I’ve found very few photos of Miranda with curly hair. The other day my sister said that Megan Fox with curly hair would make a great Michelle, which is true, but for now, it will have to be Miranda Ker and you’ll just have to imagine her with wild curls.

James always looked like James Hetfield to me. So he was easy. I wonder how the lead singer of Metallica would feel about me casting him to play Grace’s overbearing brother? LOL.

Brandon and Bailey were easy to cast. I just looked for a beautiful, young redhead and a handsome young red-haired boy. I think they’re pretty perfect.

Micah is a little hard to find photos for because he’s covered in tattoos but rocks a 50’s greaser style. I managed to come up with a few different photos for him, but they’re all different men.

All the others in my dream cast were very easy to select. I knew what I was looking for when I was searching for Ian’s dad, John and his mother Rose. Eddie is even named after who I think he would look most like and that is Eddie Vedder. Can you tell I love rock n’ roll?

RLA: I would like to thank you for stopping past and I wish you all the best on your tour Marisa.
MO: Thank you for hosting me, it’s been a pleasure.

The Falling of Love is available on Amazon.

Marisa’s Social Media Link:

Marisa’s Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads