My wild ride has Brought A bit of Sadness

It has been the busiest, most exciting roller coaster of a ride in the last month. The opening of Dark Dawn Creations, has taken the majority of my time the last three weeks. So much of it in fact, that sadly, the shut down of Noteworthy Releases is immanent. I've advertized in the only place I can think of for some one to take over, KDP forums, and no one has come forward.

I refuse to sell it to someone who will use it for their own advertising purposes and financial gain. Therefor, it will be closing sometime in the next few weeks. Noteworthy Releases has been like a child to me for the last six months, nurturing it and watching it grow. It is a sad day for me indeed to announce it's closure.

Finally Met My Match

I never like to admit my inadequacies. Who does right? But three weeks into Dark Dawn Creations, and I have found the one and only thing that has thrown me for a loop. What is this thing? you ask. LIGHTNING SOURCE. Never in my life had I heard of it before. Probably because in the age of print on demand and a self pub being able to produce a book for free ( if  your wise) I never ventured far into the Pay us to print your book world.

A few weeks ago I had a commission for a print cover package. Great I say, wonderful series. Absolutely a blast working on the cover. Then it comes time to do the print version, and I find out he's using Lightning source. Never heard of it before so I did some research. OH MY!! The guidelines for a cover are so strict it's insane! Now I'm not a total dip nor a stranger to composing print covers, done it three times now for my own in pdf for createspace. Down load template,  Paste parts, align, export as pdf print ready, away into the printed world you go.

Lightning Source has created a nightmare. While no stranger to CMYK or all of the other color profiles, tif PDF blah blah, I have met my match. Just reading their guidelines and rules gives me a head ache. To top it off, every mistake I make costs my client money. Yep you heard me right, Lightning source charges you for every submission. Tonight I am giving it one more go at creating a lightning source approved cover. If all goes well, you will hear me cheering at my brilliance in a few days. If not, I will bemoan the day Lightning Source set up shop and refund my clients money.

One things for sure, I will never take another Lightning Source commission again.

Writing, Features, and Covers Oh My!

I have recently launched my cover service and my oh my how it has taken off! I'm booked for the next month. Unfortunately this will take away from the next Children of Fury novel and the squeal to Hailey's, but the dust will settle soon and I can get back to writing. I actually enjoy the change of pace. Truthfully I was getting burned out. Helping others out with the bit of a gift that I apparently have is a bonus. For any one waiting for the next in the series, don't fret. They will both be out by the end of the year. : )

Reviews Gone Horribly Wrong

The KDP Forums are great for finding threads about reviewers, and authors "Behaving Badly". Yes one stars reviews smart. Three stars or more are cause for celebration, even if as an author, we find the review system a little stilted. Still there are those reviews whether bad or good, that portray your book in a way that is so off base, I have to cringe. 

Over a two day free promotion of For The Heart Of A Shifter, I received a one star review. Instead of bringing me down, I had to laugh. She was so far off base,it was comical. I have nothing against Cristian romance, I even find it refreshing at times, but this was obviously what she thought she was getting. How I'm not sure, since it isn't labeled that way, my cover is equally erotic, and my blurb makes it clear that this is a sensual book.

Needless to say, she was "shocked" by the first chapter of the book. The language as she puts it was shocking and vulgar and there was a bestiality feel. Ok Language, maybe. I'm a crude woman, my writing is crude, equally so, are most of my characters. But Bestiality? NO Way! I may write about shifters, but I don't go that far.

To make a long story short, most of the "those who bought this book also bought" preview usually sits on a few other shifter stories and the rest of my books. This morning I was perusing the book page, (Thank you to the lovely woman who vindicated the one star review), and this time I was shocked! Instead of the run of the mill books in the also bought preview, there were all kinds of erotic books in their place. I have nothing against erotica, I even consider the Bear Canyon Shifters paranormal erotica. But some of these were bad. Stuff I would never consider reading, or writing in a million years.

I've braced myself for all the lovely returns that will soon be coming my way. All because some woman  felt the need to write a bad review on a book that she should not have purchased in the first place.(Admitted to not even reading past the first chapter) For any readers out there, please use the look inside option before you buy, it's there for your benefit. 

I can only hope that in the days to come readers will be kind enough to write reviews, good or bad, on the book as it really is, an Urban Fantasy Romance.

IT'S HERE! FOR THE HEART OF A SHIFTER

Well it's done! For the Heart Of a Shifter is now live on Amazon! It seems like it's taken for ever to finally get here. The last few months have been grueling, but it has finally paid off. I think I'm going to take a break from Dawn Smith for a while and retreat into another world. No worries, Dark Fury Is still in the works, along with Serina's Promise.  In fact, Serina's Promise has the outline done and two chapters already written. Dark Fury is still in the meticulous planning stage it takes for that particular series.

But for now, take a stroll with Jerrod and Riley, meet some new characters, and maybe come to love some you didn't think you would. For any Nook fans out there, drop me a line if you want an epub version. I'm still floundering on select for this one and it won't be available on nook until I decide.

Finished, But Not Really

It's been awhile since I've posted anything in my rants and raves.Put simply, I've been so busy I have a hard time keeping up with my self! Note worthy releases experienced a glitch in the Google doc forms and I had emails but no names or books. I've been wading through them the last two days trying to get everyone to resend info so I can figure out who is who.

For the Heart of  a Shifter is finally done! Editing is on it's way along with beta reader input. Shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks before it's ready to be released. YAY! Crimson Fury is now on every available channel possible including Omni-lit and all romance eBooks.com. The print edition has had so many problems with formatting that I had to super nova the whole thing and start over. But even that is finally starting to come together. I'm only waiting to approve the proof after cover issues kept it from going through the last time.

All in all I'm as busy as ever, started on the sequel to Hailey's two days ago. Serina's promise. Hailey's was an either love it or hate it kind of book, I'm hoping to make more lovers than haters with Serina's. My writing skills have improved much since last year, and I now know what I didn't then, one beta reader is not and editor!

Today I feel Like an Author

   The latest work in the Children of Fury series will be done tonight. Just got my proof from create a space on the print version of Crimson Fury today. There are a few formatting mistakes that need to be addressed but it will soon be ready for sale. For some one that has grown up treasuring the printed word, to see mine in bound paper is extraordinary. I realize that print books are going out but for me, to hold it in my hands, to open it up and see the words I've written. There is no feeling I can use to describe it.

  Others may not see having your book in print as something so momentous. But for me, it is one of the greatest accomplishments in my life. Today I feel like an author. Happy joy rave done, back to writing!