With less than 2 weeks left to publication, things are getting exciting for Kingdom of Ashes! A bunch of blog reviews are coming in the next couple of weeks, and the first one is already up. Head out to Magic of Books to read Magda’s insightful thoughts!
Also, I was recently a guest at Cover2Cover, where I talked about the joys of being an indie creator.
And since no book release would be complete without gifts, below is a list of my active giveaways:
Nightfall: Kingdom of Ashes is now available for pre-order on Amazon!
You can pre-order the book now for 0.99 USD. After release on Oct. 30th, you will be able to purchase the book at the regular price of 3.99 USD.
EVERYONE who pre-orders will receive a signed character card! In addition, all pre-orders will enter a lottery and be eligible to win one of the following:
OPEN WORLDWIDE
Also, I always include a small bar of luxury chocolate with each paperback / gift I send
So how does it work? Go here for more information.
Happy reading!
~Elena
I have 3 signed advance copies of Kingdom of Ashes, and I’m very willing to share! If you’re already on Goodreads, you can enter the giveaway here. If you’re not on Goodreads, what are you waiting for? It takes 20 seconds to create an account, and it’s a great way to discover new books.
If you win the giveaway, you’ll receive an autographed paperback and a character card of your choice.
I ship worldwide!
Best of luck and happy reading!
With less than four months left to publication, things are moving at full speed! Kingdom of Ashes is now on Goodreads, and a giveaway is on its way. Stayed tuned for signed paperbacks, postcards, and other fun gifts!
If you decide to self-publish, editing your work is the single most crucial step you cannot skip. You can get away with a self-made cover, website, blurb, and interior design, but editing is one area you need help, no matter how good and experienced you are.
Every author benefits from a fresh pair of eyes, but many indie writers skip editing because of budget constraints. Others want to edit their books, but have no idea how. Traditionally, this has never been something authors had to worry about – agents and publishers were the ones to guide writers through the process. However, if you are self-publishing, you are in charge of the whole production process – from the rough draft, through all editing and formatting stages, and up to the final product.
In this post, I will cover the different kinds manuscript editing. Continue reading
If you are anything like me, then you:
and
Luckily, this is where my personal superhero, TheSwanMaindeN, comes in.
When you get an artist to illustrate your characters, you can take different routes. You could describe in detail what exactly you want to see, you could give them complete freedom, or you could go anywhere in between.
When I asked TheSwanMaideN to illustrate my book cover, I gave her a detailed description of what exactly needed to be there. However, when it came to Armida’s portrait, I decided to try something different and to give her only a vague idea about the character. “You are great at drawing hair,” I said, “and even better at drawing dresses. Go for it.”
This was one of my better decisions because – surprise, surprise! – it turns out her imagination is way better than mine. What I got was this:
What inspires you?
This is perhaps one of the more frequent questions writers get. What gives you an idea for a new character, new scene, new book? Inspiration is a tricky thing and can come from the most unexpected sources – reading a news article, watching a beetle crawl, hearing a stranger say a random word. When you go seeking inspiration, it is hard to say where you’ll find what you are looking for, but there are two main sources that are a great starting point – Art and Real Life.
Art could be anything – a book, a painting, a movie, a sculpture, a song. Real Life could be simple everyday conversations with the people in our life. Perhaps someone you know has an intriguing personality and you want to base a character on them? Or perhaps their past experience gives you a story idea? You can also get ideas from observing nature and from traveling and interacting with various people and cultures.
Museums are one place where art and real life meet. Here you can travel to distant lands just by taking a few steps. Besides inspiration they are also great for research – if your story is set in the past or in a place you have never been to, there is only so much you can learn from books. A trip to the museum can be a step into a different world and can give you a better glimpse into your character’s life and surroundings.
Since I’ll be living in London for a few more weeks before leaving the UK, I decided to make the best of what’s left of my stay and revisit some places that inspired me. The Victoria and Albert museum holds a few objects that influenced my writing. This post is about how you can use a trip to the museum to help you shape your story.
So far I have covered the simpler, faster, and cheaper ways to get a beautiful ebook cover – a DIY or a premade cover. Unfortunately, for many authors these option’s don’t work. You may have something specific in mind for your cover, and no single stock image or a premade template captures it. In that case, you’ll need to work with a designer or an illustrator.
Designers
Designers work like this:
– You share your vision of what you’d like to see on the cover, including key elements and general mood
– The designer picks one or more stock photos, manipulates them to create the desired image, and adds a genre-appropriate font. Usually designers are subscribed to a stock image supplier and can download an unlimited number of photos at no additional cost for them
– There are several rounds of revisions, where you can give back your cover and request changes Continue reading
I’m happy to present this beautiful character portrait by the talented Nadica Boshkovska (aka TheSwanMaideN on DeviantArt):
If you’ve read the free sample, you have already met Tristan. He is the vampire who first finds Myra in the dungeons and accidentally saves her from interrogation and torture. Arrogant and vain, he is viciously disliked by mostly everyone at court. At a first glance, his loyalty to the Prince is his only redeeming quality, but Myra discovers further bits and pieces of his past, secrets and motivations as the story goes along.
I think the portrait does a great job capturing his personality, or at least the face he shows to most of the world. Once again, I’m very grateful to be working with this skilled artist.
I am happy to present the stunning Kingdom of Ashes ebook cover by the talented Nadica Boshkovska (aka TheSwanMaideN on DeviantArt):
Kingdom of Ashes 