Why I only publish two books a year.

First, I just need to say, CLICK on that Romance Reviews icon just there on the right and VOTE for Cranberry Blood by Elizabeth Morgan! Thanks :)  ----->

All authors write differently, and if they self-publish, they do that differently too. Everyone's got to find a way that suits them. With that in mind, I thought I'd share with you my writing schedule as such, so you get an idea of why I only turn out two (three if you're lucky) books a year. Now, this won't take long:

1. UP TO FOUR MONTHS to write a full-length novel
2. SIX WEEKS to fully edit it, proofread it, format it and publish it, and organise guest posts for blogs. And six weeks is pushing it, but I work hard to stick to that time frame because I am self-published and if I don't keep my visibility up, I don't get seen. Or paid for that matter ;)
3. During the above, I am also marketing my other books, designing covers, book trailers, and other little bits and bobs that bring more exposure to my books, and make them more accessible to you.

That's half a year gone already.

Within that time, I ONLY concentrate on one book. I don't begin to write the other - at least not easily - until that one is published.

I am also a full-time parent who does not want to forfeit quality time with my family, although sometimes, that happens.

I LOVE my job; my passion; my dream... but if you saw me right now - three weeks before release day - you will see that my hair is a mess, I have shadows under my eyes and my head is pounding because my brain needs more sleep that it knows it's not going to get.

So there you have it. I have a whole ton of bloggers, two wonderful beta readers (Elizabeth included) and a patient family that I need to thank, for their eagerness, enthusiasm and support, because if they were not as forthcoming, I might not even be able to get two books a year to you.

I thank you for reading them :)

Dianna xxx

Zombie Prejudice?

So, a couple of weeks ago I mentioned the end of one of my favourite series Being Human. I was major gutted that it had ended since it was the only British Paranormal Romance series going and I totally loved it.

I'm not someone who watches television, unless, I become addicted to the show eg. Dr Who, which is re-starting this Saturday and it looks freaking amazing can I just say. But after the last episode of Being Human finished an advertisement for a brand new series was shown . . . In the Flesh. 

It is a Zombie series, but it is set after the Zombie apocalypse AND the zombies have been treated and have now been released back in to Society as PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) victims. And none of the surviving humans are happy, oh no, and can you blame them?

People who were once Zombies, who ate their family and friends are now back in their neighbourhood trying to lead normal lives again. Even though they can't eat, and they have to wear special make-up and take medicine . . . 

How freaking awesome is that for a story idea?

Life after being a zombie. Zombies now becoming the minority in society, being the focal point of prejudice, and being hunted by small groups who fought against them during the apocalypse.

 It is just one of those programmes that, as a writer, I can't help but think, "damn, I wish I had thought of that." 

It really is such a unique idea. The programme itself is dark. Kieran who is the main character has flashbacks of his life as a Zombie, which I have to say, it must be damn awful remembering eating people . . . *shudders* I mean how do you cope with that? It is witty, and funny, and really thought provoking.

Needless to say, I dig it. I think if you are a fan of Zombies this is definitely a series you should watch. I mean, we have so many films/stories set before the Zombie apocalypse and during, but not a lot set after, and especially not a ton that involve the rehabilitation of former Zombies. Partially Deceased Syndrome. Ha. Don't you just love that?

So, yeah, major pimp-age post today. I think it is a fantastic series and definitely one you should all watch. It's on every Sunday night at 10pm on BBC 3 - for those of you in the UK. For everyone on the other side of the pond you may have to do a little google-ing/youtube-ing to see if you can hunt it down, but if you can, watch it. There has only been two episodes so far so you don't have a lot to catch up on, but you are seriously thrown in to the story straight away.

Have a fab week. :-)

We booked a family holiday!!!

It sounds like such a silly thing to blog about, but we haven't been away for over a year, and this time, we splashed out and decided we should go to Center Parcs. Wowza. We're going on a grown-up family holiday, lol. Usually, we collate all the pennies we have and decide what we need to sacrifice to have a good time. We've thrown caution to the wind this time :) Nothing will be sacrificed!!!

In other, more work-related news, the proof copies of my paperbacks have arrived and YEY! - they look REALLY good :D Will be reading in the cafe with a giant coffee within half an hour...

Cry Of The Wolf (Eye Of The Storm #2)

I'm so pleased to say that the ARCs are picking up some great reviews at the moment - I hope all my readers enjoy it just as much :)

There will be a couple of chances to win some signed paperback copies via some review blogs, so look out for that from release day.

I've been thinking about the third book, Heart Of The Wolf. Thinking about it, but not dwelling on it just yet. I'm switching modes to write The Last Dragon (which I've also been thinking about, and freaking out slightly over, but then I always freak out when I write a new book of a series, so to speak... But this one won't just be a new book - it'll be the LAST book...).

I'm going to leave it there and get on with the paperback proofing.

FAMILY HOLIDAY!!! I am so looking forward to getting away into pampered surroundings to a bit :)

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Dianna x

Cranberry Blood has been nominated!!

So, I'm going to sound like a bit of a broken record since I have already announced this on Facebook, but screw it, because I am just super over the moon at the moment.

Cranberry Blood has been nominated by TRR Reviewers for Best Romance – Paranormal Romance (2012) at The Romance Reviews (“TRR”).

This is the first time any of my books have been nominated for, well, anything. I'm still a new author in a lot ways, and in a lot of ways I am still figuring where I fall as a writer and what my strong points are etc. So, to have a book simply nominated and along side some amazing authors - a couple of which I admire the hell out of - is just completely mind blowing. Plus, it is such a nice way to end a Monday. Ha.

Off the top of my head I can't think of anything to bribe anyone with, not that I think anyone needs bribing, but if you would feel inclined to vote for Cranberry Blood then I would be super grateful. (And I am totally open to suggestions if you want bribing. Ha. :-P )

If you're interested in voting just follow this link - http://www.theromancereviews.com/bookvote.php - the category for Paranormal romance is fourth from the bottom.

Voting started today - March 18th - and runs through to March 31st. You do have to sign in to be able to vote. I understand what that means if you don't already have an account, but like I said, the choice is yours. Thank you in advance if you do vote for Cranberry Blood. :-)

~ * ~

Cranberry Blood
(Dark Sensual Paranormal Romance)



Book: One| Series: The Blood Series

BLURB:

Killing Vampires? Easy. Tracking someone? Simple. Helping, and protecting a Vampire slayer... Bloody hard work!

Thirteen years ago, Brendan Daniels made a deal with a psychic. In exchange for information on the whereabouts of a Rogue Werewolf, he promised to help and protect Sofia's granddaughter. Unfortunately, he had no idea what he was getting himself, or his Pack, into.

Nothing about Heather is simple, from her weird dietary needs to her life’s mission. The girl can handle herself, but the promise to protect her soon becomes a need, and one that he can't fully understand.

Vampire Slayer. Born Infected. Blood addict... but not by choice.

Heather Ryan is the most recent slayer in a long family line. Like all before her, she has spent her life searching for her ancestor, Marko Pavel, the Vampire her family has sworn to kill. If that isn't complicated enough, Heather is also a born "Infected", and to keep her from becoming insane or giving in to her darker side, she is on a very strict diet.

Grandmother Sofia has passed, so now it is up to Heather to take the family legacy into her own hands, all alone: or at least, it would have been, if her Grandmother hadn't sent a Werewolf to help her.

What is the irritating Brendan supposed to help Heather with? Sofia never told either one of them. But it doesn't take long for Heather and Brendan to find out that the Vampires have big plans, and that the fiends have waited a long time for them both.

This title contains explicit language and scenes of a sexual nature.

To read the first chapter of Cranberry Blood, click here.

Length: Novel| Content: Sensual Romance| Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing

Purchase: Noble Romance Publishing| Amazon.com| Amazon.co.uk| Bookstrand.com| AllRomanceEbooks

Why I make my own book covers and trailers.

Yes, they say this is a big no-no in the indie author world - you mustn't do anything for yourself if you're not a "professional" at it. It's a train of thought that's come from indie authors getting stones thrown at them for badly produced work - hey, it happens. But as a self-employed person responsible for your business, YOU have to decide where you want your time, energy and investments to go - not anyone else.

So I thought I'd explain briefly why I make my own covers and trailers, and this only applies to me - I don't know about other authors: I find it both beneficial and therapeutic. It's that simple. Even though I have to think about marketability on some level, at the very core of it, creating covers and trailers is not about marketing for me.

When I started creating covers for my books in the very beginning, three years ago now, they were shit. Really, really shit. There is still evidence of this because Amazon doesn't delete books from their system - once you're on there, you're on there! And then I changed the genre I was writing in and I began to look at other people's covers - I picked out the ones I liked and the ones I didn't, and I strived to create things more like the ones I admired. I researched and invested in a basic design software that I could use and I started experimenting. I put stuff out there and got other people's opinions with which to weigh my own.

I had always designed my own website headers previously, so I took the principles I knew and built on them. Yes, of course I made mistakes - who doesn't when they're learning? But for me, it was time well spent and an investment that has paid off. You CANNOT be afraid to make mistakes if you're self-employed in whatever job. You just have to know how to pick up the pieces, learn from them, and become better at what you do.

When I create book covers, the characters and story solidify a little in my mind, and I strongly believe in bringing to my readers an experience that is "indie" in its truest sense of the word, after all, my work IS indie - my types of stories are not really mainstream ... yet ;)

It also keeps the prices of my books lower for readers.

With book trailers, I literally go on a journey when I create them. Again, the story and characters solidify in my mind, and I love them a little more. It's NOT a marketing exercise for me - if it was you'd see my trailers laden with my book covers and buy links - I don't do that; I don't like it.

No, it's not about marketing - it's a part of the story and a part of creation. It's part of my writing. If I thought my trailers were total crap, I would still create them, but I would keep them private just for my viewing. Since I don't think they're utter crap, I share them :)

So here they are - my three book trailers for The Witching Pen series, The Last Dragon, and the Eye Of The Storm series. They are here for your enjoyment and my productivity; not to sell you anything. They are a journey in their own right, like any book is. Enjoy :)

Playing

Last week was basically a pass out/play with images week. Passing out because I has some crazy shifts like working 2 - 6pm one day to then have to wake up at 4:30am the following day to head in to work for 6am to do deliveries. Thankfully I finished at noon, but damn, I was tired by the end of that day. My brain decided to cease working for two whole days after that - what can I say? I'm not a morning person. I actually hate getting out of bed.

So, due to lack of active brain cells I decided to start purchasing some of the awesome images I have saved in my folder on 123RF and start playing about. I'm no good with graphics and stuff like that, but I have always loved looking at book cover designs and headers etc - what can I say, I'm a weirdo - so I thought it might be a good idea to start playing as I would really like to make some nice banners for my current book series and then naturally, whatever else comes along.

I managed to get some great images of the models on my Cranberry Blood cover, but there are still come images I want to purchase and download before I set my heart on a new banner for the Facebook and website page dedicated to The Blood Series.

My first experiment for a website header is this groovy combination:

Not bad for my first shot, huh? Not that it was super difficult, but I kinda love it. I've already uploaded it to my facebook page. I was considering placing a quote on it, but this particular image is hitting on a current WIP rather than one of my already released books. At the present moment I have no quote that I feel would fit this particular header. So, for now I think I'm just going to stick with it as my new header, because I totally dig the full moon and my paranormal couple.

On another note, I got the recent expansion pack for The Sims 3. I am a total addict. I go through phases where I have to play it and then a lot of the time I have no interest, but it makes for an interesting past time for me. Sadly, I haven't even had enough time to play on it - as well as tiredness I have had family members over a lot this last week. I suppose it's a good thing, because now I can use it as a little motivation to get on with edits for my co-authored manuscript. Eh. I do hate editing sometimes.

At least my shifts this week are set at nice times. So, with a little luck coming in the form of no one disturbing me then I should be able to crack on with the second round of those bloody edits and perhaps get to play on The Sims at the end of the week as a treat. *fingers crossed*

So, what was the highlight of last week for you?

Pimping of the British Paranormal Series Kind

Sunday night, I am sitting on the sofa with my television on waiting for my weekly programme, Being Human. I don't really watch television that much. I find I am attracted to certain shows, or naturally, once I hear a show I like is back on, such as Dr Who which will be starting again this March, yay! I will watch them.

Well, Being Human is a favourite of mine and last nights episode was amazing, but what got to me is that last nights episode was the second to last Being Human eppy ever. I am gutted. It is dark, realistic, funny, violent, all and all amazing. The Werewolves are awesome and how I imagine Were's to be. The Vampires are cool, and in the case of the two leading males of the series - Mitchell and Hal, two lots of yummy on legs. And the ghost are hilarious. It is such a top series, but what made it so fantastic was that it was British.

Many of you in the UK might watch this awesome paranormal series, and some of you might remember me mentioning it when Dianna and I started this blog: "A ghost, a vampire and a werewolf sharing a house?"

Being Human is the only British paranormal series there is at the moment. (If anyone wishes to state otherwise and point me in the direction of a show I am unaware of, please feel free.) And it saddens me knowing that. Why aren't there more paranormal series of such a nature over here? The UK has plenty to offer. So many Gothic/Horror stories take place here.

*Takes deep breath*

Needless to say, I was thinking about this sad fact after the episode finished. One of the reasons Dianna and I started this blog was because of that very fact, and I think Dianna's original post can sum up the reasons for that better than I can: The British Paranormal Romance.

We need more British Paranormal based stories/series. And we need to shine the light on all the books that fall under this genre.

I would just like to take this moment to point out that when I started writing this post it was indeed due to the fact that a) I'm totally bummed out that Being Human is ending, and b) I have just finished Beta reading the lovely Dianna's Hardy's "Cry of the Wolf: Book 2 in the Eye of the Storm series" - 'Tis amazing! -and I found myself nostalgic. 

You see, after a bit of a shake up with the Publishing company I lost a little interest in my own UK based paranormal series, because I was unsure about what to do. Even when I made my mind up I had over projects to preoccupy me, but after watching the show and reading Dianna's fab book, I kinda grew homesick.The Blood Series was the first series I ever created. Cranberry Blood was the first book I ever wrote, and Brendan and Heather were my first characters. Today I found myself opening up the series folder and looking over notes for the next book and I felt like I had come home, as crazy as that might sound.

I have not been quite about the fact that I sometimes struggle to write. I never see the point in pretending it doesn't happen because I feel that stating it out loud may help anyone else who finds themselves in a dry spot. Life has changed for me again, but these last two days I have had streams of conversations from a variety of characters who were all from different projects. All of the words pouring in to my mind including my moody Werewolf and insane Vampire Slayer. I feel excited. I feel like pieces are beginning to move in to place, and god, I hope they are, because the silence has been killing me.

Anyway, the point of this post is that, although I have never been the type or person, let alone writer, to compare myself or my work to anyone else's  I feel I need to do some major - British paranormal series - pimping today, and why the hell not? So, if you are a fan of Being Human, or if you are a fan of dark comedy, rough and ready characters, crazy story arcs, chemistry, passion, lots of sex, and romances that don't go smoothly; then you may want to check out our series.

The Eye of the Storm Series

By Dianna Hardy

Dark Paranormal Fantasy

For the call of the wild in us all.

(Set in the Surrey Hills, England.)

On Sale!

Releasing April 19th 2013

For more information on this series visit: http://www.diannahardy.com/eye-of-the-storm.html

And don't forget to check out Dianna's awesome "The Witching Pen Novellas" - http://www.diannahardy.com/the-witching-pen-novellas.html

~ * ~

The Blood Series
By Elizabeth Morgan

Scottish Werewolves: freaky Vampires and a Slayer with a bad addiction and an insane legacy. Add a big dose of sarcasm, sizzling chemistry; a lot of silver and a ton of blood and . . . .

Welcome to The Blood Series!

On Sale!

On Sale!

For more information on this series, and The Overseers Series, visit: www.e-morgan.com

So, are there any UK based paranormal/fantasy books you have really enjoyed and want to let more readers know about? Leave a comment and I will pimp them out on my facebook page. :-)

Look what's on my Kindle!!!

Sorry it's blurry, but look what's on my Kindle ready for its second round of edits!

First round of edits went swimmingly well :)

So, you won't be hearing from me too much for the next couple of days ;)

WHO'S EXCITED??? :D

Dianna xxx