Ask the Author: Shantelle Mary
Answered Questions (17)
Shantelle Mary
Sorry for the late reply, Matthew. I actually had a friend design the cover (front and back) for A Dream Not Imagined, and then I just uploaded it to KDP. I think she used the photoshop program?
Shantelle Mary
I mainly review Christian fiction. I might consider mainstream fiction if it was clean content-wise.
Anyone is free to message me here on Goodreads and tell me about their book. I will let you know if I want to read & review it.
Anyone is free to message me here on Goodreads and tell me about their book. I will let you know if I want to read & review it.
Shantelle Mary
Hello, Cate! Silver Rose is a fantasy novel about a young woman named Karalee. She wakes up in an unfamiliar land and realizes she has no memory of her life up until this point. She also quickly finds out that something dark is going on in this new land.
There is adventure and danger, and fantastical creatures, of course! *winks*
I have no publication date for Silver Rose at this point because I'm looking for someone who does an edit/critique that is both affordable and professional. *smiles*
There is adventure and danger, and fantastical creatures, of course! *winks*
I have no publication date for Silver Rose at this point because I'm looking for someone who does an edit/critique that is both affordable and professional. *smiles*
Shantelle Mary
Hi, Emily! Sorry for taking so long to get back to you! If you still need reviewers, I would definitely be willing to read Perception. Thanks!
Shantelle Mary
Go to your "Account Settings" and then click "Emails". There you can pick what you want to be sent emails for, or if you want to be sent emails at all. After you've selected what you've wanted, click "save email settings" at the bottom of the page.
Shantelle Mary
I definitely love fairy tale retellings, so I'll have to give Jenni James another try! :) I read a bit of her first book, about Beauty and the Beast, but didn't finish it before it had to be returned to the library.
Shantelle Mary
Oh my, I didn't even see this question! No, there's not an "official release date", Liv; though I did just add Silver Rose and marked the release date as Dec. 2017. That just means I'm hoping to get it published sometime this year!
As of now, Silver Rose is undergoing a second round of beta readers. I'm hoping to have a better idea of when it'll be published by March/April.
As of now, Silver Rose is undergoing a second round of beta readers. I'm hoping to have a better idea of when it'll be published by March/April.
Shantelle Mary
No, I haven't. But they look fun and I want to give them a try! :)
Shantelle Mary
I've sold over 120 paperback copies ... and I'm not sure how many kindle copies (but it's free to publish a kindle version; so I sell them for $0.99 each).
I print my books through createspace.com. What they do, is each time a costumer buys a book, they print it up and send it. So I don't have to print up a bunch of books at once. They print on demand. I sell my paperbacks for $5.99, and probably get around two dollars profit since each book is $2.15 to print.
I print my books through createspace.com. What they do, is each time a costumer buys a book, they print it up and send it. So I don't have to print up a bunch of books at once. They print on demand. I sell my paperbacks for $5.99, and probably get around two dollars profit since each book is $2.15 to print.
Shantelle Mary
Hi Eliza! With self-publishing, there's a lot of independence! I can write the stories on my heart and not worry about them getting rejected over and over because they're not exactly what a traditional publisher wants (for example, some traditional publishers don't published Young Adult. Or they only publish Amish and Prairie Romance, not fantasy and the like).
I don't have to worry about deadlines, having my favorite scenes edited out, or my cover designed in a way that I don't feel matches the story.
On the other hand, indie-publishing is a lot of work! And you don't get some great perks that traditional publishing offers. But this way, I have all the rights; and I've found fellow writers and readers who do a great job at editing, critiquing, and even helping me with cover design! And it's all worth it in the end (even the really late nights of trying to figure out formatting!)
I don't have to wait for years for the right publisher to find my story. I can polish it up with the help of author friends, and get it out into the world myself! :)
Hope all this rambling was helpful! ;)
I don't have to worry about deadlines, having my favorite scenes edited out, or my cover designed in a way that I don't feel matches the story.
On the other hand, indie-publishing is a lot of work! And you don't get some great perks that traditional publishing offers. But this way, I have all the rights; and I've found fellow writers and readers who do a great job at editing, critiquing, and even helping me with cover design! And it's all worth it in the end (even the really late nights of trying to figure out formatting!)
I don't have to wait for years for the right publisher to find my story. I can polish it up with the help of author friends, and get it out into the world myself! :)
Hope all this rambling was helpful! ;)
Shantelle Mary
Well, usually I think for a few moments ... then a name pops in my head, and I start writing. However, I usually end up changing it two or three times before I find one that really satisfies me and fits the character! :D
I also tend to make up names. One of my books has a main character named Karalee. That sort of came from Coralee. Rowen was a name I liked from a novel I'd read. I found Ascilia from specifically looking up medieval names. Feyeldra-Leena I just totally made up! :D
Anyway, usually it's pretty random! Haha.
I also tend to make up names. One of my books has a main character named Karalee. That sort of came from Coralee. Rowen was a name I liked from a novel I'd read. I found Ascilia from specifically looking up medieval names. Feyeldra-Leena I just totally made up! :D
Anyway, usually it's pretty random! Haha.
Shantelle Mary
Write, write, and write some more! Never stop! :-) And write the stories that your heart calls you to; never mind what anybody else says or what's popular.
Read tons! I think my love of reading has helped my writing so much!! There's so much to learn just by reading the books of seasoned writers.
If you have a finished story, let friends or family read it. You'll never know what people think about it until you let them read it! It's nerve-wracking of course, but you have to do it at some point.
Connect with published authors. Ask them about their publishing journey and whatnot.
And when you feel your book is ready for the public, forge ahead! That's what I'm doing in any case, :-) Check out all your options and decide on one. Get your name out there by social media. Do not let anyone tell you that you can't publish your work. You can. Just keep trying! :-)
Read tons! I think my love of reading has helped my writing so much!! There's so much to learn just by reading the books of seasoned writers.
If you have a finished story, let friends or family read it. You'll never know what people think about it until you let them read it! It's nerve-wracking of course, but you have to do it at some point.
Connect with published authors. Ask them about their publishing journey and whatnot.
And when you feel your book is ready for the public, forge ahead! That's what I'm doing in any case, :-) Check out all your options and decide on one. Get your name out there by social media. Do not let anyone tell you that you can't publish your work. You can. Just keep trying! :-)
Shantelle Mary
I'm not very good a dealing with writer's block...*sheepish face* But I've found that during small moments of writer's block, taking a break and walking outside, eating a healthy snack helps. During the really tough "I can't write!!" times, I sometimes simply force myself to. Make a goal: "Okay, I'm going to write 1,000 words everyday. No matter what. I'm just going to do it." And I find that I actually get a lot of writing done in the end. Its a much better alternative than going day after day not writing at all; even if some of it needs revision!
Shantelle Mary
If I read a beautiful-written, captivating novel, I'm often urged to start writing. Or if I watch a dramatic movie filled with riveting emotion. Or read excited responses from my readers. Or look at my Pinterest storyboard for my current project...
Shantelle Mary
Ideas just pop into my head at random moments. For my fantasy series, (I'm working on Book 2 currently), I did get bits of inspiration from The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia movies. But mostly, its just...comes. An experience I went through. Dramatic happening I saw. Something God lays on my heart, I suppose! :-)
Shantelle Mary
I'm currently working on Book 2 in my not-yet-released fantasy series. The tentative title is Diamond Dark. It's been great to reconnect with all my dear characters from Book 1!!
Shantelle Mary
Writing!! :-) Creating those stories that won't leave your head and characters that you come to love. And seeing one of my books come together after months of writing, editing, and all that...PRICELESS!! :-) <3
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more
Oct 14, 2019 05:22PM · flag