Callista Hunter's Blog

Hi everyone, I’m excited to announce that an amazing narrator, Tami Leah Lacy, has brought the characters in Goddess to life!  It’s now available on Audible and iTunes as an audiobook.  If you’ve already purchased Goddess from Amazon, and you want to add the audiobook to your library, you can get it for only $1.99 […]

Hi everyone! Just a quick update to let you know that Goddess has now been entered into the Hidden Gems contest on Inkitt, a site I love for their fantastic design. I’ve discovered some fun stories there and I hope you give them a look. It would be fantastic if you could cast your vote […]

Hi everyone, My friend Shelly from Keystrokes and Closed Doors is planning to host a Google Hangout interview with me tomorrow, 6/5 at 7:00PM Eastern time as part of her Emerging Writers interview series! Keep an eye on her blog for the link to view the Hangout live, or watch this space for a link to the recorded […]

It’s here! Book Expo America 2015 officially kicks off in New York from Wednesday May 27th to Friday May 29th. I’m very excited to be represented at the expo by Kait Neese! Kait has a tremendous amount of experience with book expos, and insight into the industry – she blogs at kaitneese.com. Check her out, […]

There is an entire world full of advice for new authors out there in the blogosphere and twitterverse.  Some will tell you to know your genre and market before you begin to write your book – and there’s plenty of good sense in that, especially if you’re hoping to make money! Others will tell you to let your creativity guide you. After all, we write to tell great stories, no matter what genre lines get blurred along the way.

But take it from me: if you’re in the second camp, get ready to deal with your genre identity crisis!

I fall into that confused second category. I started to write for fun, with no intention of actually publishing my book. Which means I gave absolutely no thought to what genre I was writing in, and consequently there’s no perfect label for it. Which means it is a marketing nightmare!

Ok, I’m overstating the case. Every book has a genre, right?! Based on what I’ve read so far, it seems that Goddess actually falls into the category of historical fantasy. Some elements of the book are taken from ancient Rome, specifically ancient Roman religion and mythology.  But because the task of writing real, well-researched historical fiction is such a huge challenge, I decided to cheat when I wrote my book. I took my characters and put them in a fantasy world (I even changed the name of the country the story is set in from Rome to Parcae [which is a cool fantasy country name, huh?]).  And many of the details of everyday life that I included in the story are totally anachronistic or just plain historically inaccurate – or they’re just wild guesses that are not backed up by research!

I had hoped this would be obvious to readers of the book right away.  Without getting into any spoilers, the plot of the book hinges on something so blatantly historically inaccurate that readers couldn’t possibly think I was going for 100% accuracy. The trouble is that, in my quest to find an audience for the book, I promoted it everywhere I possibly could – and I lured historical fiction fans into reading my book with promises of ancient Rome. In a way it was false advertising! But historical *fantasy* is a small enough niche that there aren’t very many Facebook or Goodreads groups dedicated to reading it. And it’s common wisdom that the more genre-specific you can get, the more likely you are to find your niche audience.

I had hoped that my road was paved by books like The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, and by the way, if you haven’t read it (and who hasn’t?!) you must get a copy right away. Lynch’s fantasy world is part alien city and part medieval Venice, and incorporates quasi-historical elements to fantastic effect. It sounds disorienting, but thanks to his talent it works like nobody’s business, and at least I can point to one successful book that has a similar half-history-half-fantasy recipe. If you can think of others, by the way, let me know in the comments! I always love a great read.

I still struggle with putting a genre label on the book, but I’ve decided that Goddess is mainly a fantasy story, not historical fiction.  I simply stole my world-building from ancient Rome! A convenient cheat for a new fantasy writer. But I hope it was all in the service of a good story.

What I really should have done was written an appendix detailing all the elements of the story that I know to be true. That way I could have confirmed for curious readers that yes, the rest is totally made up! Ooh, maybe that’s good fodder for a future blog post, I should make a note.

So, in conclusion, my apologies in advance to anyone who buys Goddess and wonders why they’re using paper and ink in ancient Rome!  

Until next time!

Hey all!  I have some fun news – for the next two weeks, Goddess will be available as a free download from Story Cartel, a site that organizes book giveaways on behalf of authors.  To get a copy of the book, just go to this page on Story Cartel and choose “download.”  The site will ask you to informally pledge to leave a review after you’ve read the book – and I hope you do! I love to hear feedback and love it when I know someone has read my little book – I’m quite fond of it.

Please enjoy your free copy and pass along to any friends you may have who also like free books I hope to hear from you when you’ve finished!

When Evan Jacobs went to an author event in 2010, he felt left out. As the other attendees lined up to get author signatures on their books, Evan realized he only had an eBook copy of the author’s work. That’s how the Authorgraph service was born (and check out this excellent post over on Suzanne Woods Fisher’s blog for the whole fascinating story).

Authorgraph is a way for authors to “sign” eBooks. Actually, the signature you receive will be a separate document, but it can be downloaded and viewed on any eBook reading device. The idea is that a reader can create her own collection of Authorgraphs – personalized messages from her favorite authors. It’s a cute idea and a nice way for fans to connect with authors directly.

To use the service, go to the Authorgraph homepage and search for your favorite author or book. Once you find your favorite book, click “Request Authorgraph” and add a short message to the author. You’ll be notified when the author fulfills the request, and you can log in to your account to see your personalized message from the author, along with their “signature” (either an actual drawing or a script font, depending on the author’s preference).

I have been extremely flattered to receive an Authorgraph request recently, and hope to fill out many more. If you have tried Authorgraph as an author or reader, I’d love to hear your perspective in the comments! And don’t be shy – feel free to request one from me

 

 

One of the best things about being an indie author is the author community, a group of creative and talented people who are always willing to support one another. I’ve been lucky enough to recently connect with A.D. Faylinn, who wrote her novel The Dark Pilgrim with her co-author C.J. Taylor.  I had to know more about her experience writing with a co-author, so she graciously agreed to give me an author interview!  Read her story below, and check out The Dark Pilgrim on Amazon.

You wrote The Dark Pilgrim as a collaboration with a fellow author, C. J. Taylor. That sounds like a fascinating journey. Can you describe how you two started writing together, and what that process was like?  For example, did you know each other as friends first, and then decide to write together?  Did you trade chapters or work side-by-side?

Writing The Dark Pilgrim with my co-author was quite an adventure. We began writing as freshman in high school. I had known C.J. Taylor since 7th grade, and we had grown quiet close over our mutual love of horses, reading, and fantasy. I’ll never forget the hot summer day in August 2003 when I got the strangest phone call from Taylor.

“I would like to write a novel,” she told me.

“Me too. It is definitely on my bucket list,” I replied, having no idea where she was going with this seemingly random information.

“No,” she said forcefully, “I want to do it now, like today.”

“Oh!” I was shocked. “I am free today. I guess I could come over now.”

“Okay great.”

So I told my mom I was meeting with Taylor and we were going to write a book. And the rest, as they say, was history. At first, I am not sure our parents knew what to think. I’m sure they figured it was a phase, but we spent 8-10 hours on Saturdays or Sundays writing together, as well as working on chapters during the week. We had to work around homework, jobs, sports, etc.

Writing together was so much easier then than it is now. Taylor and I were just discussing this very topic the other day. We used to sit side by side and plan our outlines and we’d write chapters together with one of us grabbing the keyboard from the other then inspiration struck. It was such an interesting dynamic. I do not think I could work that way with anyone else. We also would discuss chapters and each write our own then decide whose we liked better, or we’d merge our two takes on chapters, or one person ran with a chapter that particularly spoke to them. If you can guess it, we have done it. Some chapters I have only contributed a sentence to, and Taylor has done likewise. It is a crazy process, but it works for us. Often, one of us writes until we get stuck, then the other person, having read it, gets inspired and takes over. It is great to have someone to feed off of when you get stuck. We inspire each other’s creativity and imagination.

…And did you have any major disagreements?

That is a question we get asked all the time. The honest answer is no. If we have creative differences on where a character should go, or what a scene should look like, we always talk it out. Often one of us will be swayed by the other and embrace the idea wholeheartedly. If one of us is so passionate about an idea, we can usually find some way to make it work, maybe not in the original context, but it makes its way into the book.

Your book is part one in a series called “Flight of the Lionheart.” Did you plot out the entire series before beginning part one?  If so, I am in awe of you.

Yes we did. We know where each book begins and ends, and what roughly happens in each book. Of course, things change while you write, and our original storyline has undergone many revisions. And I am sure it will continue to evolve as the characters show us how the story should go. We like to believe we are in charge, but our characters often surprise us.

I found that your character names help to set the mood and tone of the book very well. I might describe them as “Tolkienesque.” Was it difficult to create the character names? And a bonus question: how do you pronounce your main character Gilaon’s name?

It actually wasn’t too difficult to create character names. Honestly, I feel like a lot of the characters name themselves. I just follow my fingers and when I look up, I am always surprised by what I find. Of course, characters names have changed either in their entirety or in just the way their name is spelled. Mirenor, for example, only became Mirenor in 2012. She had been someone entirely different since 2003!

Gilaon’s name is pronounced gull-ay-on. Luckily, we have a pronunciation guide in the back of the book, for any names that might be confusing.

Characters are known for developing their own personalities in spite of the author’s intentions. Did you let your characters push you around?

Characters definitely develop their own personalities. Taylor and I gossip about them like friends frequently. I have found it is the character you least expect that ends up pushing you around and changing your whole idea for a chapter or plot point. I wouldn’t like to admit that I’ve had a character push me around, but I think some of our characters are so good at it, I don’t realize it is happening until it is too late.

Was there one particular character in your book that you especially enjoyed writing about or coming up with lines for?

Taylor will laugh when she reads this. There is no hiding the fact that I openly gush over Senbi. I am in love with him. I loved him from the moment I met him. Mirenor is a close second, let us not forget her. Senbi though, is so fun. He is witty, charming (in his own way), dangerous, and just a mysterious guy. He is someone you want to hate, but then find yourself trusting him. He is complex. I am so excited to continue to explore his character as the story goes on.

Following in the Tolkien tradition, sometimes characters speak in another language. Did you create a grammar and a dictionary for the language you created in the book?

We do have a dictionary for Sërillian. Without our list of translations we wouldn’t be able to remember what words we’d already created, how to spell things, or the meanings of names. I wouldn’t say our rules are very strict when it comes to the grammar of the Ardunese tongue, but there is some semblance of order there. We took inspiration from Latin, Spanish, English, and Italian when creating the grammatical rules.

I am also a first time author, and I felt a great amount of anxiety about releasing my book into the world. Were you afraid that people would judge you for writing a fantasy novel? How did you deal with it?

Actually, I wasn’t afraid. I am an avid reader, and there are plently of books I fell in love with, and plenty of books I hated. I knew the readership of The Dark Pilgrim would experience the same thing. Maybe it has just come with age, but I know those who love it will really love it, and those who don’t can just move right on by. I have just wanted nothing more than to share Gilaon’s story with all who wish to read it. That is the ultimate goal.

Whenever someone heard that I have written a fantasy novel, the first thing they ask me is if there is magic and dragons in it. I love both of those elements, but I just giggle because fantasy is so much more than that. I have learned to just shrug off any judgements people have about the ‘fantasy’ genre. All I can do is continue to do what I love and write the story that needs to be told.

Any last thoughts or advice for new authors?

Just keep writing. I still stumble across things I wrote back in 2003 and I laugh hysterically at how terrible it is…and I thought it was pure magic. Every time you put your pen to paper (or your fingers to the keyboard), it is a learning experience. Write your heart out. Time will help you improve. Seek out mentors, hire editors, go to conferences, and never stop trying to improve at your craft. Every day I fall more in love with writing and am so blessed to have met such wonderful people throughout the process.

You can check out A.D. Faylinn and C.J. Taylor’s book The Dark Pilgrim (Flight of the Lionheart, Volume 1) on Amazon, and follow A.D. Faylinn on Twitter at @adfaylinn!

Here is a complete list of links for The Dark Pilgrim:

Amazon http://goo.gl/kdSV6Z

Smashwords http://goo.gl/x8yiDk

Barnes & Noble http://goo.gl/3Ocmcf

Goodreads http://goo.gl/XMAa8E

So, this post is for the self-published indie authors out there. Every indie book blogger has to have an opinion on Kindle Select.  Is it good, is it bad, is it ugly?

When I published Goddess, I immediately enrolled it in Kindle Select so I could take advantage of the free promotion days (for each 90 day period your book is enrolled in Select, you are allowed to make it free for up to 5 of those days).

However, as a new clueless indie author, I had no idea that I was supposed to be putting a book launch plan together before publishing!  That was a major mistake.  So, there I was on day 1, like “Hello world! look, a new book!”  I had no reviews, other than those by friends and family.  And we all know that reviews are critical to a book’s sales.

So my first goal was to put on my new book-marketer hat and rustle up some reviews.

Lucky for me, I had published through BookBaby, which (as part of their basic package) provides all of their customers with the BookPromo service, a package of free services and promotions for marketing your book.  One of these services is called Story Cartel, a sort of crowdsourcing service where you trade free copies of your book for reviews.  I was thrilled to be able to try it!

BUT! Then I realized my mistake.  When you publish through Kindle Select, you cannot give out ANY free copies of your book. That is absolutely forbidden, and this aspect of the program really hinders your ability to reach out to potential reviewers.

Because of this restriction, I still have not gotten a chance to use Story Cartel or any of the other giveaway-type services that help new authors get reviews.  (As soon as my Kindle Select term expires, though, I will be trying Story Cartel, and I will report back on my findings!)

On the other hand, I did run a 2-day free promotion for Goddess. Although it was hard work getting the word out about the freebies (or in other words “promoting the promotion”), it was manageable with the help of the Author Marketing Club’s book submission tool, and the bulk submission service from BookMarketingTools.com.  I have seen a significant bump in sales since the free promotion, and so far the boost seems to have been permanent.  I also reached number 1 in several categories on Amazon.

I would definitely say the Amazon Select free promotion was valuable.  If I could do it all again, I would have published my book through KDP (without Select), gotten plenty of reviews through giveaway programs, and *then* entered the Select program and taken advantage of its promotion tools.

Then again, if I was *really* going to get a second chance, I would definitely plan a book launch rather than just hitting the “publish” button!

Did you have good or bad experiences with Kindle Select as a new author? Let me know in the comments!

Bublish is a fun service for authors to present their work while adding commentary to a particular scene or chapter.  I recently created a bubble for Chapter 1 of Goddess, and I had such fun adding my “author insight!” I began with a focus on my main character, Olivia, who is unfortunately a bit vertically-challenged and therefore has trouble completing her ceremonial duties with grace.

I’m including the bubble below. Expand the commentary and the chapter by clicking the blue arrows next to each heading. I hope you enjoy.  And for the authors, head over to Bublish.com and make your own! I look forward to reading more bubbles, come back and share with me if you do.

Thanks for stopping by the blog!  I’m planning to use this space to share news about my book Goddess, other upcoming projects, reviews, and reflections on the life of an #indieauthor. Feel free to get in touch at author.callista.hunter@gmail.com.