Sunday, 10 March 2019
Saturday, 9 March 2019
Friday, 8 March 2019
Interview with S.McPherson & review of At Water's Edge
I am delighted to be joined my S. McPherson on the blog today for both an interview and my review of At Water's Edge. First let's see a little about the author.
USA Today Bestselling author, S. McPherson is a young British expat living in Dubai. Not long ago, she was working as a kindergarten teacher and when she was not at work immersed in a world of imagination and fantasy created by the children, she was immersed in her own worlds of imagination and fantasy at home, dreaming up tales and writing them down.
Fast forward to today and S. McPherson now works as a full-time author working on the final 2 books in The Last Elentrice series as well as on a brand-new series, titled: Ashes of Legends. When S. McPherson is not writing, she can be found dancing and singing around the house, usually to the latest song that's gotten stuck in her head (right now that's Out My Mind by Tritonal), or reading a deliciously delightful YA fantasy. Her TBR is extensive.
And onto the interview!
Do you read your own genre? Is it a favourite?
Yes, I do. I love fantasy. It lets me experience a whole new version of reality—one, where even pessimists are forced to believe in magic.
If you had to describe your style in three words, what would they be?
If we’re talking my writing style in my books, they would be: fun, adventurous and empowering.
If we’re talking my fashion sense, those three words would be: Whatever is close haha
Was writing always your dream choice of career?
Yes. When I was younger, I wanted to be a script and/or song writer. As I grew older and discovered the wonder of reading, I decided I also wanted to write books.
Do you have a writing space? Pictures or descriptions!
I do. I call it my little writing cave haha It’s a desk with many shelves toppling with journals, and on the top shelf I’ve balanced my vision board and my Marauders Map. It also often features my cat, some biscuits, a cup of herbal tea, and, of course, my laptop
Playlists? Yes or no? And why?
I do tend to put together playlists for each book, however I mostly write in silence. I do think that playlists help occasionally though, to help set the tone and evoke the right emotion for a specific scene I’m working on.
Which social media do you see as a must for writers?
I would say Facebook. It’s a great way to get involved in the writing and reading community through groups and book pages etc. You can also create your own groups, street teams and of course an author page where people can find and chat with you, and you can also share updates on your current projects.
Where do you hang out most online?
I’m mostly on Facebook and Instagram. But I do also spend a decent amount of time on Twitter and YouTube.
Do you have a favourite app for writing?
I haven’t really tried any but I did recently discover ProWritingAid and am loving it so far.
Organised or not?
I am super organised! Sometimes too much! Haha I tend to have a daily schedule and when it comes to writing, I tend to plot chapter by chapter. I start with the overall story idea, then main points in each act. Then get into the nitty gritty.
What's your favourite book you've read?
That is so difficult! Haha When I was younger it was all the books I read by Roald Dahl and I still love them today, but as I grew, I collected many more favourite books. The book that made me finally pick up my pen and actually finish my first book was City of Bone (Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare.
Morning or evening writer?
I can write all day, every day haha I do love to be able to dive in first thing in the morning and then I break for an hour or so, then dive back in, and so on, until bed time.
If you had a hashtag for your books, what would it be?
For my current series it’s #TheLastElentrice but in general, I think I would use #SMcPhersonBooks or #MagicInTheMaking
They say love can cross oceans, but can it cross worlds?
Dezaray is from Earth.
Lexovia is from Coldivor.
But
when they accidentally trade places… Dezaray is thrust into a world on
the brink of war. And the only one powerful enough to stop it is the
sorceress, Lexovia.
Struggling between surviving in a strange
world, moving on from her tormented past and not falling for the boy
with blue eyes, Dezaray must also keep her identity hidden, masquerading
as Lexovia, so the beasts that hunt the sorceress, don’t learn that
she’s left the realm unguarded.
But the beasts aren’t the only
problem. Lexovia is stuck in England and knows little of the human
world. And the sorceress soon discovers that England may carry magical
secrets of its own.
As both girls strive to find a way to trade
back and restore balance to their worlds, Dezaray begins to wonder if
that’s what she truly wants. Will she have the strength to leave the boy
she loves when the time comes? And will Lexovia find a way to return
before it’s too late?
My review: 5 Stars
I picked this up because of the blurb and dived right in. I'm not normally a fan of fantasy, but this one had me hooked from the first chapter. I wanted to know more about Dezeray and Lexoia and how the two connected. I loved the way the story was told, how you switched from one world to the next and the love story intertwined between them. I loved that Coldivor wasn't completely fantasical, that they had some basis with Earth, that teens were still teens! It was an amazing read and that ending? Give me more! Highly recommended!
You can follow S. McPherson on Facebook, Twitter, her website, Instagram and Youtube.
Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here.
Thursday, 7 March 2019
Writing Speeds [CC]
Talking about writing speeds and you, a new way to look at things! #Authortube
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Wednesday, 6 March 2019
Tuesday, 5 March 2019
Monday, 4 March 2019
Authortube: To Give Advice Or Not?
AUTHORTUBE: TO GIVE ADVICE OR NOT?
When I first started on Authotube (channel here) I wasn't all that sure about what I'd post about. While you can't see the first year of videos any more because I removed them all, they were a mix of one subject a month covered in the main video and then the others were progress on paperbacks and books trailers and all of that. I don't know whether it was just my lack of skill of editing and doing thumbnails, or the fact that I didn't engage and promote myself all that well, but I found that pretty soon, they didn't really attract that much attention.
I made the same mistake with my blog in the early days. I didn't know what to write about and used it more as a place for people to see my books and would only update when there was a new release or they were available in a new store. Of course, you're here because you don't want to make those same mistakes that I did early on in my career and so for that reason I'm going to tackle the big question of whether or not you should give advice. I'll give you pros and cons for each and leave that final decision to you, because you know yourself, and your journey better than anyone else.
#1 - GIVING ADVICE PROS
-> This can be a good way to attract fellow writers and authors who have a question that you might be able to answer.
-> It can also be a way to specialise your channel to your own personal process. For example, if you're a major planner with a unique outlining process, people will want to hear about it.
-> It can lead to collaborations with other authors on authortube and allow you to quickly gain an audience.
-> If you're knowledgable on the subject, it can be a good way to spread the word.
-> It can also be a way to change how certain things are done. For example, I'll talk a lot about writing disabled characters because I am disabled and woefully aware of the lack of diversity.
-> It gives you a wide array of topics to choose from.
#2 - GIVE ADVICE CONS
-> If you're new to writing, it's not always going to be something that you can talk about in detail without a lot of research.
-> If you decide to talk about something having done the research, you might end up giving the wrong kind of advice since you have no personal experience with it.
-> A lot of channels on Authortube give advice and it can be hard to separate yourself from the crowd.
-> Even if you are specialised in one particular topic, that doesn't mean that people will listen to what you have to say.
-> Depending on your age and skill with editing and such, it may be amazing advice, but packaged in a way that people deem bad because you don't have all the perfect equipment.
-> Sometimes it feels like a lot of the same advice is just regurgitated out from various channels.
#3 - NOT GIVING ADVICE PROS
-> You're free to choose how to frame your channel.
-> You don't have to worry about people getting upset about the advice you give.
-> You don't have to worry if you're not specialised in a topic because you won't be talking about it in any capacity as a mentor.
-> You can try and stand away from the crowd as someone who just discusses author life and the path to publication.
-> You can still collaborated with people, but do it in your own way and without the worry of having to research a lot of writing tips
#4 - NOT GIVING ADVICE CONS
-> It can be harder to get views when you're coming with different original content.
-> It can be something that stands you out from the crowd, but doesn't help you connect with your audience.
-> Sometimes you'll have thoughts of a way you do things, and will find it harder to frame it on your channel if you don't have a history of advice giving.
-> It can cause you to lose credibility if you don't share certain facts.
Those are the pros and cons of both. I've taken all of them from my own personal experience and from what I've seen of other authortube channels. I am not advocating for one or the other. I personally try and do a mix of both, with the writing videos, but also some advice and topics not always covered by other channels. You have to decide for yourself, and whichever path you choose, good luck!
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