FCEtier

If you know anything about Claudia Barry, you’ll know that when she speaks, people listen. Especially when she’s armed, which is always.  If you don’t know Claudia, now’s the time to get acquainted before the sequel comes out. She decided we should extend the sale of The Tourist Killer for one more week.

Done.

The e-book version of The Tourist Killer will remain on sale for 99 cents through midnight, Saturday, December 6, 2014.

Why?

“Because I said so,” said Claudia.

“Also,” said I, “the sequel begins the next day, Dec. 7, a day already viewed in infamy by most Americans. A Year Without Killing begins its two-chapters-a-week run as a serial novel at VentureGalleries.com.

How did I go from self-published to full-time writer in six months?

Sacrifice and commitment.

Before publishing Warrior’s Scar, I researched my target audience and the market. What I found after crunching the numbers, was that the Kindle market has access to more than 95% of my prospective readers. Kindle also dominates the eReader market. As much as 75% of all eBook purchases are through Amazon. So I drank their Kool-aid and published using the KDP Select program, making my books exclusive to Amazon, but doubling my royalties to 70%.

Next, I trimmed nearly every ounce of fat from my budget. I went from cable, to streaming and an HD antenna. I cut back my phone data plan since I am now at home full time and have more wifi access. I went down one tier on my ISP speed. Driving fewer miles meant lower car insurance and a lower gasoline bill. That was a huge savings. I went from filling my truck twice a week to filling it twice every three months. I quit paying a yard guy. Date night was cut back to once a month.

The remaining expenses made up my bare minimum income requirement for each month. I added 25% to that number to cover taxes, and to put a little in savings. That number was how much I have to make each month to be a successful writer.

The only thing left was selling books. I push them in reading communities. I blog. I peddle them on Twitter, G+, and now both Ello and Tsu. I talk about them at the grocery store checkout. I have t-shirts with my covers printed on them. I toot my own horn. Because here’s the thing, I am the greatest writer since Homer, and if you don’t realize that, buy another one of my books and it will change your mind.

The point is, you have to want it, and you have to believe in yourself. You have to overcome shyness and tell people you write. You have to show off your new cover to your friends. You have to shout to the world that you are a writer. As indies, we don’t have a marketing department doing that for us. We have to do it ourselves.

Finally, get paid. You can have ten million readers, and if you don’t get paid by them, you aren’t a professional writer. Some people say you have to give your work away to get noticed. That’s great if writing is just a hobby. If it’s no different than crocheting a doily for a friend, then by all means, give the blood you write with to anyone who will take it. But I’m a professional writer. If you want to read my work, you have to pay me for it. This is the most important thing I can say to anyone who wants to write. Get paid. If you don’t get paid, you are not a professional writer. I could repeat that sentence twenty times.

Now, go out there and buy my books. It’s the best decision you will make all day.

The Eight Sentences:

The shooter relaxed and watched the rain collect on the windshield as the wiper blades paused for a few seconds between cycles. First it was images, then text. It was like e-mails appearing on the screen of her computer but now they were appearing on the windshield right before her eyes. No time to read them as the wipers cleared them away with each wave. Always changing, more messages and no time to read nor savor them.

“Did my targets realize their own frailty, their vulnerability, their mortality? Were they able to adjust the length of time the blades of fate hesitate between each event?”
The light changed, the pace of the rain quickened and without a thought, her hand came up, her finger touched the lever, and the wipers went from intermittent to regular speed—with no pauses.

The Back story:

This week’s snippet features the last eight sentences of The Tourist Killer. The narrator once again refers to her as “the shooter,” rather than by name. How easy will it be for her to be Claudia for a year rather than “the shooter?”

The sequel, A Year Without Killing opens with Claudia walking towards her favorite Irish pub in Manhattan. The rain has gone and the sidewalk is wet.

What next?

This will be my last snippet until January. A Year Without Killing begins it’s “two chapters a week” serial run at VentureGalleries.com on Sunday, Dec. 7. Every spare moment I have between now and New Years will be spent working on future chapters.  My fourth book is in the planning stages and will be titled, Transfer the Dragon.

Hit us with your best shot!

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.The  same link will take you to the work of dozens of talented writers.

For a treat, please check out their work, too.

Here’s the Facebook link for the Sunday Snippett group.

Shawn Jones and I became acquainted in an authors’ group on Google Plus.

Our first online conversation went something like this:

Jones: Beware. I’m a first class SOB.

Etier: There are those who think of me the same way. We can see eye to eye, one SOB to another.

We hit it off real good.

His first book hit Amazon in December of 2013. Now, it’s November 2014 and he has three books out and a fourth, Warrior’s Wrath releases on the 17th. Just six months after the release of Warrior’s Scar, his first book, he posted, “I closed my business today…as of this post I am a full-time author. A full-time author who is scared shitless. A successful, full-time author who is scared shitless. Oh, what the hell have I just done?”

How many independent (self-published) authors do you know that can say that? Next week, in a guest blog Jones tells us how he did it. Shawn’s “How I Did It” blog is live, and can be found HERE.

Jones is the product of a poor family from Oklahoma. He met his future wife online and now they live in California. We caught up with him recently and he agreed to answer a few questions. Let’s see what makes Shawn Jones tick.

FCE: Why do you write?

Jones: To get the story out of my head. I daydream constantly. To the point that I have trouble falling asleep because I cannot turn my brain off. By putting words on paper, or screen, since I write on a Chromebook, it clears my mind. Of course the next day it fills back up, but that’s the curse, right?

FCE: Whose writing inspires you?

Jones: That’s a two prong question. There are the writers like Tolkien, Burroughs, Verne, and Wells. They inspired my imagination. I can build worlds, even universes, because they taught me how to paint a story. There are also writers like Hugo and Cervantes who taught me how to express deeper truths and make my own personal voice heard, rather than just those of my characters.

FCE: Describe your genre, then why, and how you chose that for your books.

Jones: Most of my writing is hard science fiction. As a reader, I always feel cheated when I read, “The ship jumped to warp speed.” I want to know how it jumped. I don’t need to know the theoretical physics, but I do need more than just because. When I decided to write, I chose to write a story that I would like and appreciate. That means keeping it real.

I write sci-fi because I want to look ahead, not behind. We must learn from past experiences, but we cannot learn more from the past. That knowledge is already here. It’s happened. But the future! That is where we learn what happens next.  I want to be in that world.

FCE: If someone who was not an aficionado of your genre read one of your books, what aspects would encourage them to pursue it further?

Jones: I had to ask someone else this question, because I don’t think I can answer it objectively. My friend who is a quilter said the following.

“Action, natural touches of humor and sadness. Strong, flawed, main characters, and supporting characters that have personality and depth. It’s science fiction that is heavy on science.”

FCE: Tell us about any published works in other genres?

Jones: The Warrior Chronicles is my first published work. I have ideas for horror stories, military fiction, westerns, and historical fiction rattling around in my brain, but until I wrap up Cort Addison’s adventures, they will have to wait.

FCE: Have you had any short stories published? If so, tell us about them.

Jones: No. Until a small group of friends encouraged me to participate in National Novel Writing Month a year ago, I had only written shorts and a little poetry. One of my favorite things was to write a scene based on a single image, usually a screenshot from a video game or a piece of fantasy art. The game Skyrim gave me a lot of fodder in those days.

FCE: What do you see as the advantages of being an indie author as opposed to what we used to refer to as “traditional publishing?”

Jones: We control our own destinies. We are not beholden to the whim of a single reader at a traditional publishing house. We as readers will never know how many great books, and how many great authors, were never read because someone at one of the big houses had a bad day or didn’t get their morning coffee. And if you don’t have an agent, forget about it. Amazon gave us an opportunity to reach for the stars.

FCE: Audio books seem to be all the rage. What is your opinion, will you have any of your books in an audio version?

Jones: I like audio books. I don’t listen to them much, but they are a great venue. Like it or not, we live in a world where some people don’t have the time, or choose not to make the time to read. There are also many would-be readers who are visually impaired. Audio books are a great way to reach those people. I am in the process of putting together a little sound studio in my home to begin recording them myself. Because a listener cannot immerse themselves in a book the way a reader can, I think it’s important for a writer to tell the story in his or her own voice. By using the intended inflection at the right time, we are able to make up for part of what is lost when a listener has to devote some of their attention to the road or their workout.

FCE: How do you come up with names for your characters and settings?

Jones: It varies. If it is a key character, I think about what that person looks like and how they carry themselves. When I have them pictured in my head, I ask what I would guess their name to be. Sometimes it is simple because a character is reminiscent of someone I know. It was more difficult in the first two books of The Warrior Chronicles, because the naming conventions of that future allow for only one syllable names. Over the course of the series, that changes as a feeling of nostalgia overtakes society when a man from our time arrives there. For secondary characters, sometimes it is as simple as seeing a name on the TV screen. Other species are the hardest, because I have to think about the speech patterns of alien life forms.

FCE: What is your favorite word, and why?

Jones: How does a writer answer that? I guess lexicon. I subscribe to dictionary.com’s word of the day, and try to incorporate that word into each day somehow. In speech, an email, social media, or my writing, that word will usually show up. I also keep a book called “The Word Museum” next to my workspace. I love finding a way to put an archaic term into my work. One of the greatest compliments I have ever received was when a very well read friend told me they had to look up a word I had used.

FCE: What is your goal with your blog? How often do you post a new article and how important is blogging to sales?

Jones: I don’t blog enough. I try to keep my posts about my daily life as a writer, and less about the craft itself. There are a lot of bloggers out there who are much more adept at talking about writing than I am. I’m good at telling you about my fears, my achievements, and the little things that affect my writing. Blogging can definitely help sales. But you have to make sure people know about it. That means social media. I plus, I tweet, and ultimately I am going to have to Facebook. I have avoided that last one, but I recognize that it is important.

FCE: We just read your blog about the Memorial Sea and fracking in Oklahoma. Something about it reminded me of Author C. Clarke’s three laws. Have you had other validations of your work?

Jones: That was a proud day for me. I have a physicist-friend in Canada that I run my science by regularly. I love the moments when he writes back, “That’s totally reasonable. Go with it.” I have to read a lot of science papers to keep up with the latest theories, and more than once I have had to change something to keep my science accurate. But it’s worth it in the end.

In my opinion, Clarke’s “Hazards of Prophecy” essay should be required reading for sci-fi writers. I like to keep my science plausible, and if I ever decide anything is impossible I will start writing in another genre.

FCE: What are your preferred social media outlets and how much time do you invest in them weekly?

Jones: Google Plus is far and away my favorite social media outlet. The level and depth of interaction and debate there is orders of magnitude ahead of anything else. Twitter allows you to get a quick point across, but the others are all less than engaging in my opinion. I have high hopes for Ello. Its manifesto expresses exactly what I believe social media interaction should be.

I devote about two hours a day to social media on average. When a book is about to release, or I am engaged in a discussion about current events, that number can rise dramatically.

FCE: Thanks for joining us, Shawn, do you have some closing comments or thoughts for us today?

Jones: Buy my books! Buy them all! I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to reach out to your followers. It’s been a pleasure to take them on a tour of my mind, and I hope the interview has been as thought provoking for them as it has for me. But really, buy my books.

Shawn’s next book, Warrior’s Wrath, is due out tomorrow, November 17, 2014 on Amazon.

In the mean time, here’s how to connect with him:

Google- https://www.google.com/+SkeptiKSwine

Twitter- http://twitter.com/captainducttape

Ello- https://ello.co/shawnjones

Blogger- http://shawnjonesscifi.blogspot.com/

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7796646.Shawn_Jones

And his author’s page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shawn-Jones/e/B00I3JJFYW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

The Eight Sentences:

“Abortion isn’t my choice.”
“Why not, I thought you were pro-choice.”
“You’ve known me a long time, Debert, I believe a woman should be free to choose—so I made a choice. You know how I was raised and by whom—you know my religious background is nonexistent, what I know about man and God and law I’ve learned in classes and from books I’ve read. How many people do you know that can say that 100% of their visits to churches have been as tourists?”
“None.”
“I’ve visited courtrooms to study body language, seating arrangements and behavior more than I’ve been into churches, and speaking of body language, when I can feel something inside me kicking and moving around on its own, without my conscious influence, well, for me, that’s life and I’m not going to end it. You never know, it could turn out to be the president one day — or better yet, a great world leader.”

The Back Story:

At this point in her life, Claudia has already made a career choice and has two notches on her gun. For more on her decision to kill for a living but to give birth to her child, please check out my wife’s blog HERE.

Come write with us:

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.The  same link will take you to the work of dozens of talented writers.

For a treat, please check out their work, too.

Here’s the Facebook link for the Sunday Snippett group.

Readers can take a walk on the wild side (not Lou Reedish) in one setting with this quick easy read. Perhaps some readers, such as this reviewer, will consider it a bit “wild” for a couple who have been married for thirty-five years to flirt with infidelity. They will both be tempted. What made me feel this was a bit unusual was that the couple we meet in Help Wanted, is introduced as happy empty-nesters.  Couples can appear to be happy to the outside world, but are they really? The plot resonated with me because I shocked friends and family by ending a marriage after twenty-six years and three different marriage counsellors. (It had been dead for years, but that’s another story.)

Help Wanted is the second in a trilogy of stories billed as “A River’s Edge Romantic Suspense.”  Charmaine Gordon writes books about women, baby boomers, who survive and thrive. Her motto is, “Take one step and then another to leave your past behind and begin again.” Gordon has been busy turning out six books and several short stories in three years. She’s always at work on the next story. Charmaine Gordon may be the hardest working author I know, certainly for a woman whose children are baby boomers.

Meet Steve and Sally Atwood.

He was recently given a golden handshake without the parachute.

Now the white shirt and tie guy is a handyman around town.

She’s looking for work.

She hopes to find an outlet for her creativity and journalistic talents.

Both are surprised when they discover what each really seeks and how their personal needs at this point in their lives converge and diverge.

Therein lies the suspense.

Can they manage what they find out about themselves and each other?

Life throws us curves and fastballs every day. How big is the strike zone and can the Atwoods manage the change-up pitch?

Adult readers of all ages can identify with the Atwoods and will be challenged to question themselves and the decisions they make. Cultural references will certainly appeal to boomers and the author has thoughtfully included explanations for the younger reader to connect.

Readers will also enjoy a vicarious performance for military veterans by canine performers representing Paws for a Cause.

Most baby boomers I know would still be teenagers were it not for mirrors and cameras.

The Atwoods are no different.

Will they have a happy ending?

Romance is not my preferred genre when I select the next book to read. Help Wanted was good enough to keep me clicking to the next page on my e-book reader.

Catch up with Charmaine Gordon on Facebook or at her blog, HERE.

A sunset made more beautiful by clouds. Cape Cod 2014

The Eight Sentences:

[NOTE: Outrageous punctuation in effect to trim this down to 8 sentences from nineteen!]

“You remember what I told you about sunsets, don’t you?” Lilly had asked.
“Yes, ma’am, I do, I’ll never forget it,” Claudia replied.

“Well, Dr. Thibaut’s passing was a beautiful clear sunset, no clouds to be seen, but a beautiful afterglow,” Lillie put her coffee cup on the table, raised her glasses and wiped her eyes with the ever-present white lace handkerchief.
Claudia thought a moment and at the risk of sounding like a challenge, pressed ahead with her question, “Do you think that people can have a cloudy life — one that would have beautiful clouds at sunset, but, aaah, still have had troubles?”

Joe Btfsplk

“Honey, no life goes by without problems–we all have our clouds. Remember that man in Lil’ Abner?” They shared a laugh and Lilly continued, “I’m sure Dr. Thibaut had his concerns, but they would have been those wispy little clouds that the wind carries away with ease. Sure wouldn’t have been anything like a mushroom cloud,” she winked at Claudia, reached out, and hugged her tight.

The Back Story:

The late Dr. Thibaut had been Claudia’s adviser/supervisor in her quest for a master’s degree. Claudia had visited his residence often enough to get acquainted with “Miss Lil,” his housekeeper. In this scene, they discuss Dr. Thibaut’s life and Claudia finds a moment for introspection with an analogy involving clouds and sunsets.

We’re looking for more writers:

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.The  same link will take you to the work of dozens of talented writers.

For a treat, please check out their work, too.

Here’s the Facebook link for the Sunday Snippett group.

The Chelsea Hotel New York City

The Eight Sentences:

The Big Apple was abuzz with more than the usual summer vacation crowds in June of 1976. Claudia Barry walked up to the front desk at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City.

“May I help you?” the slender attendant asked. He was tall and thin and had an uncanny resemblance to Anthony Perkins.
Claudia thought to herself, “God, I hope his name isn’t Bates.”
“I have reservations.”
They completed the paperwork and Norman gave her the key to her room. As she was turning to go to the elevator, he said, “Oh, Miss Berry.”
“It’s ‘Barry.’ Yes? What is it?”
“I almost forgot. There’s a message for you. It came in a few hours before you arrived.”

The Set Up:

Claudia had been on the train from Boston for over four hours. New York City was crowded with the usual summer vacationers multiplied this year by those arriving early in anticipation of the Bicentennial Celebration in a few weeks. It was a great time for her to be in town. She could disappear with ease in the throng.

The morning after she arrived began a personal challenge. She had two self-assignments. First, she wanted to infiltrate the wait staff of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and for at least a few hours, become one of them — as a male. It was important for her thesis to show, how using deception, timing, and disguise, she could move in close to important people in spite of security. Second, her next goal would be to disappear from the premises undetected. Her effective use of group dynamics would be put to the test. She’d have to rely on an unplanned diversion to occur — unless she could come up with something on the spur of the minute.

Open Call for Writers:

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.

Throughout the entire month of November, Kindle’s e-book version of  The Tourist Killer will be on sale for 99 cents.

Why? Two reasons:

1. The Tourist Killer is a great Christmas gift and consistently receives four and five star reviews. in fact, all reviews have been three stars or better.

2. The sequel to, A Year Without Killing, debuts in December as a serial at Venture Galleries.

Download a copy today, or gift a copy to a friend, and get ready to read for the holidays.

The Eight Sentences:

Dr. Thibaut, “Like I said earlier, this project has made me work more than usual on a candidate’s masters. Where did you find out about the work of Bandler and Grinder?”

Claudia answered, “I met a [Dale Carnegie] instructor trainer from California and he told me about their work. What they[ Bandler and Grinder] do involves therapy using a person’s choice of words and body language so it’s closely associated with group dynamics. Sometimes, the group only has two people. He’s been a great help with locating resources. Have you ever noticed that I never sit directly in front of you? If you’re somewhat to my right, you are more likely to agree with me. He taught me that — and introduced me to the study of group dynamics.”

The Back Story:

This part of Claudia’s past is autobiographical for me. I taught and sold Dale Carnegie Courses for several years in the mid 1980’s. A fine introduction to NLP is Frog’s Into Princes by Bandler and Grinder. I recommend it for anyone interested in pursuing the topic.

A related snippet prompted this blog article about Claudia’s master thesis: “What the Assassin Already Knows.”

I’ve been a member since the beginning — over two years ago.

We’re looking for more writers:

Join us here at Weekend Writing Warriors.

Here’s the Facebook link for the Sunday Snippett group.