Are You Ready To Fly?

Gang, how the heck are y'all? I'll tell you: YOU'RE AWESOME! 

Seriously, you guys are the best. THE BEST. I'd love to thank you all individually (and have done my best to do so on the tweets and blog posts I've read) for all the words of encouragement, the tweets, the spamming of my cover on your blogs--but I think I'd need 4 blog posts to do that. 

So you'll have to settle for me saying you absolutely melted my heart to a puddle of bubbling feel-good-sauce. You swelled my pride to bursting, and you basically left me wondering what I did to deserve you all. 

I mean that 100% sincerely, and if I can ever repay any of you, please just ask, and I'll do all I can. Plus, there's a little musical dedication at the end of this post, Sara Bareilles style. :-)

COVER CONTEST IS CLOSED

Yesterday marked the end of the Blood Fugue cover contest. I'll be tallying the entries and randomly selecting the winners over the next week. I'll let everyone know who won what on Friday, September 7th. Good luck to all who entered, and thanks for playing!

MORE COMING!

If you don't win this time, please keep an eye on my blog in the coming weeks. I'm scheming an epic blogfest to celebrate the actual launch of Blood Fugue, and I'm thinking there's going to be some even bigger prizes to be had... yeah, I want it to be flipping huge!

GOOD NEWS!

Every week I'm going to open a blog post with some good news from some of my author-writer-blog friends. Sometimes without even being asked! Like this week...

LIGHTING CANDLES IN THE SNOW

Fantastic author-blogger, Karen Jones Gowen, is realeasing her latest book, Lighting Candles In The Snow, in September. Be sure to jet over to Goodreads HERE and give it a look... sounds like an awesome read!

ARE YOU READY TO FLY?

So I read an interesting thing from a video game designer this week. Basically, his latest game was set to launch, and he had this to say:

"There’s a moment during game development when you have to let go of your game and release it to the world. You’re sitting in your office, thinking about all of the choices you made, wondering whether people will find it fun, engaging, beautiful, scary, funny. Is your vision going to be realized? And then you take a deep breath and let it go."

 ~You can read the full article HERE if you're into gaming things.~

The universal truth of his statement really hit home. Being creative means taking a risk, plain and simple. There's always going to be an element of uncertainty involved when you take something internal and highly personal--like the idea for story, game, or painting--and subsequently attempt to make it external, something to be considered or consumed by many.

Any writer or artist will tell you that the concept usually isn't the tricky part. It's the translation, the interpretation of that concept, that's hard. It gets especially difficult when you're creating with the intent of sharing. When you go from writer to author, from painter to artist. 

If the guy from the quote above was just making a game for his friends to enjoy, he probably never would have said those things. But he's making a game that he wants strangers to pay him to play. That's an entirely different bunch of bananas, folks.

Personally, I've struggled with nothing more as a writer than trying to figure out when something is "ready". At each step along the way--betas, critiques, queries, etc.--the anxiety of not knowing how 'good' something really is just grows. It never lessens. Sure, you get a feeling that you might really be onto something, but it's just a feeling.

Here's the reality in writing: No one is waiting with a giant rubber stamp that says, "Pass" or "Fail" ... at least no one that really matters is. For every three people that tell you they love what you're doing, you'll find three more that don't get it at all. Each time you write a sentence, paragraph, or chapter that makes you think you're finally on par with the authors you love, you'll read something new that reminds you how much of an amateur you really are.

Well, I'm here to share a little nugget of truth you might not be ready to hear. It is bitter to swallow for anyone who needs affirmation (see - most of us) but it is truth: Whether you're posting fan fiction on your favorite forums, publishing entirely on your own, gunning for that dream agent, or submitting directly to editors--you, AND ONLY YOU, can determine when you're ready.

One "no" or a thousand "yeses" aren't going to change that, so how do you know? No clue, but I can tell you how I did: Faith. 

It took faith in the work I've put in studying the craft. Faith in all the times I've failed, and gotten stronger for it. Faith in the words of the readers who gave me positive and negative feedback. Faith in the skills and guidance of an editor. Faith in my writer friends who are far braver than I. Faith in my writer friends who struggle with confidence as mightily as I do. Faith in my ideas. Faith in my words. Faith in my story. Faith.

At some point, my faith was stronger than my doubts. Eventually, I trusted what I knew, and quit focussing on what I didn't. There's a place where fear gives way to confidence. Very much like riding a bicycle with training wheels, I came to a point when that extra support wasn't necessary, maybe still appreciated, but not needed.

So, at some point in the writing journey, you're going to be perched on the edge of the nest. When that day comes, what's it going to be? A nervous peek at the ground and back to safety, or is it your time to soar? It's your choice.

~EJW~

For you! 

Cover Reveal Party & Giveaway!

Howdy gang! The day has finally come... Feast your peeps on the cover of my upcoming novelette, Blood Fugue, Moonsongs Book 1:

Ain't she just the prettiest? To say I'm a proud peacock is an understatement. What's the story about? In the words of Emeril, BAM!

***

“Some folks treated the past like an old friend. The memories warmed them with fondness for what was, and hope for what was to come. Not me. When I thought of long ago, my insides curdled, and I was left feeling sour and wasted.”

Jenny Schmidt is a young woman with old heartaches. A small town Texas girl with big city attitude, she just doesn’t fit in. Not that she has ever tried.

Life has pummeled her heart into one big, lonely callus. She has no siblings, both parents were dead by sixteen, and her last grandparent—and caretaker—was in the ground before she turned twenty-one. She’s the last living member of her immediate family. Or so she thinks…

“We found my ‘grandfather’ sitting at his dining room table. An entire scorched pot of coffee dangled from his shaky hand. His skin was the ashen gray shade of thunderclouds, not the rich mocha from the photo I’d seen. There were dark blue circles under each swollen red eye. A halo of white hair skirted his bald head, a crown of tangles and mats. Corpses had more life in them.”

Suddenly, instead of burying it with the dead, Jenny is forced to confront the past. Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, she must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it.

BLOOD FUGUE, by E.J. Wesley, is the first of the MOONSONGS books, a series of paranormal-action novelettes. At fewer than 13k words, BLOOD FUGUE is the perfect snack for adventurous readers who aren’t afraid of stories with bite.

Available via Amazon and most eBook retailers September 2012

***

But this isn't all about me, no sir or madam. As a part of the celebration, I'd like to introduce you to the fabulous cover artist, Vic Caswell of Sketcher Girl Studios, as well as give out some sweet prizes--including advance reader copies of Blood Fugue and some $$$ toward a Sketcher Girl cover of your very own. More on that after the interview...

Meet Vic, cover artist extraordinaire.

ME (EJ) - How'd you get into the illustration and design business? 

VIC - I actually don't have very much formal training in art. I took a year and a half in high school and one class in college, but i've studied on my own like a woman obsessed for most of my adult life- devouring texts, watching tutorials, mentally deconstructing pieces I love. For writing, finding the blogging community and Nathan Bransford's (all hail his name!) forums/blog are an invaluable tool. In the visual arts, deviantart.com is just as valuable. There, your work gets criticized and torn-apart and built-up whether you want it to or not. And that kind of feedback... well, that's helped me grow more than anything.

But I was never confident enough in my work until Emily White (a blogging friend) approached me to do her cover art back when she was planning on self-publishing her debut novel ELEMENTAL. Spencer Hill Press ended up snagging ELEMENTAL and keeping the artwork I'd done for that. Then, they asked if I was interested in producing the art for the sequel FAE (which I got to even take the photography for!). Kate Kaynak (the owner of SHP) then asked if I'd be interested in more coverwork.

That's when my hubs told me that maybe I should go into business doing cover art. We went live in ... june ... my memory is crap. And so far i've completed five covers and am working on my sixth. It's a dream come true!  :)

ME - Why do book covers? Any favorites or specific inspiration?

VIC - Aw man. Because I love them! Seriously! I love books SOOOOO much. I even try to write (though my craft isn't anywhere near publication ready at this point). But as I've been hanging around online learning about publication, it's become apparent to me how vital cover art is. Not only for sales, but for the author to get the RIGHT sales. 

Sales to the customers that will actually enjoy the book. A cover--above all else--should be a visual representation of the story held within the pages. Providing the right image is almost like making a promise to the reader, saying, 'if you like this image, if it intrigues you, you'll like the story it represents.'

I want authors to succeed. I know how much heart and time and work goes into crafting a story. And for that to happen, they have to get their books into the hands of the RIGHT readers. that's my inspiration. Match-making, in a more exciting way than smoochies. Helping readers and stories find each other. :)

ME - Do you specialize in a specific medium? (Photography, pencils, paints, strictly digital, etc.)

VIC - Honestly... ok, it's like this: there is SO MUCH out there in the world to experience, to feel, to do... and i want to try it all. It's kind of my approach to life... in a much more restrained way (because i'm a chicken :P) but in art... there is no danger in trying different things. New mediums... they're like tasting a new flavor of cupcake... delicious! So... not really. 

In my heart I would use whatever medium I think would be appropriate for a work. But in actuality, I think there are mediums that I'm more proficient at than others, as well as styles that I'm more comfortable with. Photography and digital manipulation are pretty comfortable to me. And when it comes to traditional art, I feel most comfortable with an ink pen and either watercolors or colored pencils.

Darker, twisty, creepy, goofy styles are more natural for me... but I LOVE trying new things... and I always think my work isn't THAT dark... though the elderly people at this art show I displayed my work in last week were eyeing me in a... ummm... kind of scared way. O.O

ME - What's your design process like? 

VIC - Ooh! USUALLY, this is the process: I read your manuscript (doesn't need to be finalized). Honestly, I decide if this is something I want my art connected to. (Seriously, you have to be writing something REALLY offensive for me to pass on it...) Then I give you a call and we run through some questions to see how our visions mesh on the story. (Because sometimes authors see their stories CRAZY different than readers.) We discuss design and palette and whatnot. Also, this is when we discuss and arrange for payment.... if you need to make installments of whatever.

Then I work on mock-ups. Usually, I produce from 3-5 different (very) rough designs. Some will probably be illustrated, some with model images I already have on hand and manip and whatnot. Then you look at them and narrow it down to 3 for me to continue with. Also, at this point, if you decide to go with a model on your cover, we will go through casting at this time. 

I don't use stock photography, because although it is inexpensive you can't obtain exclusive rights to stock art... this means your cover art could be used on someone else's cover- which leads to all kinds of disgust and confusion for readers. I have a pool of models registered with SGS.

Then I work like crazy and you don't hear from me for a couple to a few weeks. Then I send you the next round of mock-ups and you choose the one design we go with. Then it's a whole lot of back and forth of tweaking and suggestions until we are both happy. Then it's paperwork. Then it's REVEAL TIME!!! whoo hoo!!!  (ME - Whoo Hoo!!! indeed.)

The amount of time it takes varies wildly depending on many things, not limited to, but including: how many other projects I have going on at the moment, when your book is going to be coming out, and if I'm having difficulty getting the image just right--because sometimes creativity needs time.

ME - What kinds of projects are your favorites to work on? 

VIC - As a reader, I LOVE MG, YA, and NA (ME - WOOT FOR NA!). Psychologically, this is an intriguing age-span to me. As far as genre goes, I love sci-fi... not so much militaristic scifi though... fantasy of all kinds, contemporary, horror, humorous characters, adventurous stories, MAGICAL stuff!, CREATURES!!!! OHMYGOODNESS!!! I love critterz soooo much! 

I'm a little uncomfortable with romance... because, you know... I don't know why. Just am. But I've done a cover for a romance. Ummm... yeah. When I read a good story, I watch it like a movie in my head. So any story that can take me to that place where I'm all wrapped up and carried away will inspire the heck out of me.  :)

ME - How do we find out more about Sketcher Girl Studios and your services?

VIC - Linksies? I got them! But first, I want to let anyone who is interested know that I'm not scary. Have any questions at all, and I'm totally happy to help as much as I'm able, don't hesitate to ask. No such thing as a stupid question and all that.

my site: http://sketchergirlstudios.com/
sketcher girl on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SketcherGirlStudiosLLC
me on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vic.caswell
my blog: http://viccaswell.blogspot.com/
my email: vic@sketchergirlstudios.com

ME - Oh my goodness, gang! I can't say enough about Vic. Her artistic acumen speaks for itself, so let me tell you about what she's like to work with. She's beyond sweet, super dedicated, incredibly supportive, punctual, original--basically an author's dream cover artist. Seriously, when I did my checklist for cover wants, Vic nailed them all. If you need some cover work, website design, etc. done, do yourself a favor and check her out.

And just to prove I'm not a selfish pig, I'm going to give you a little nudge in Vic's direction...

BLOOD FUGUE COVER PARTY GIVEAWAY

PRIZES

1 Grand Prize: $50 toward the Sketcher Girl service of your choice. (Details provided when you claim your prize.)

2 First Prizes: $10 Amazon Gift Card

Also Rans: I'm giving out an unspecified number of Blood Fugue ARCs to random entrants, just to say thanks for joining in the fun!

How to win: Fill out the Form of Doom below. That's it!

Rules and such: Contest is closed as of Friday August 31, 2012. Family members can't win. Only one entry per person will be allowed. Grand prize: Subject to Sketcher Girl, LLC terms and conditions. If Vic says you're cool, I'll send her $50 and she'll bill you for the balance. You have until December 31, 2012 to claim the Grand prize. First prizes: You'll have 10 days from the time of notification to send me your mailing address. After that, I'll pick a new winner. Also Rans: Follow the rules found within the ARC. Winners of Grand and First prizes will be notified via eMail and posted on this blog Friday, September 7, 2012.  I reserve the right to void any entry should I detect shenanigans.

THE FORM OF DOOM

A Call to Arms

Howdy gang! This week, I ask for help--while spreading some love, of course. :)

First, as usual, the weekly New Adult Lit Twitter Chat Update:

The second weekly chat was even bigger and better than the first. We had more participants, more questions, more answers--just more awesome! Anyway, you can check out what all the fuss is about at the NA Lit Chat blog, and see a calendar of our upcoming chats.

This week, we're going NA In-Depth by taking a hard look at characters in NA, and will be specifically considering reader preferences and author technique. Hope you'll join us, regardless of your involvement/interest in NA. There's a ton of talk on craft, marketing, etc. that I think would be useful to any writer. Plus, it's just a dang good time.

I'll be joined this week by L.G. Kelso of the NA Alley Blog. She's a hoot (see also, hilarious), so you won't want to miss out.

Second, HOW'S ABOUT A LITTLE KEYSTONE TO FINISH OFF A HOT SUMMER?

Ain't it shiny?!

No, this isn't a plug for skunky beer, it's a shout out to one of my favorite author-blogger friends, Misty Provincher! She is celebrating the release of Keystone, book 2 of the Cornerstone series. It's a fun YA paranormal fantasy romp.

You can get your copy on Amazon or Smashwords today. Misty will be joining us here on the Open Vein in late September for an interview, so if you aren't familiar with her or her work, be sure to keep an eye out. Until then, be sure to check out Misty's blog for a full rundown of the launch festivities.

A CALL TO ARMS

Here's the deal, I've been yapping about this awesome-sexy-sweet-toocool4school-cover of mine, right? Right! Well, I'm about ready to set the sucker loose into the wild. Unfortunately, I'm a complete n00b when it comes to this book marketing stuff, so I need your help.

Basically, I want my beautiful cover to be seen by as many folks as possible when I finally take the wrapping off of it. What I'm asking of you all, specifically, is to help me share it with the world. Now, I'm not asking to take over your blogs or anything. Essentially, I'd just like to know who'd be willing to share a link, etc. when the cover goes live. You'll decide how much or how little you want to do.

Here's how it'll go down:

1) If you're willing to take part in what I'm calling, E.J. Wesley's Bloody Good Fun Cover Reveal Party, sign up using the Linky list below. (It says "YOU ARE NEXT... CLICK HERE TO ENTER at the very bottom of this post.) You'll enter your name (or blog name) and email (the email is strictly between us, btw), which I'll use for step 2.

2) When I close the sign up Friday, August 17, I'll compile a list of all the awesome people and send them a nice fat email. In that email, you'll find all the details needed to take part in the reveal. I'll give links, jpegs, blurbs--basically everything and anything you'd need to make this as painless as possible.

3) You do something with it at the appointed hour. (TBA, which is why...) You'll have the choice to do as much or as little as you want. I'll include info for a short blog announcement. I'll give you links to my blog if you just want to say, "Hey, this EJ guy is sharing his cover today!" on Twitter or something. Easy.

I recognize many of you have pretty rigid, and very full, blog schedules, so I'm not expecting anything more than a quick anything. Do to certain factors, I regretfully can't say 100% when this shindig is going live (probably the last week of August), but will be able to by the 17th. If you need to back out at that point, just say so. No hurt feelings on my end.

THAT'S IT! And, just to show my appreciation, I'm going to be giving away two $10 Amazon gift certificates to two random participants. Furthermore, I'll include info in the email about a special prize I'm going to give out on my blog the day of the reveal. It's pretty sweet, and your name will automatically be included in that drawing as well.

Ooh, and I almost forgot, if you can mention that I'm doing this somewhere amongst your tweet-blog-booking, I'd be a million percent grateful. I'll be sharing this as well throughout the week, so a simple re-Tweet, etc. would do wonders.

All of this is going to add up to an even bigger party, and bigger prizes, for the actual launch of my book. Which I'll of course be providing more details on in the near future. Hit me with questions, etc. in the comments if you have 'em, and as always, have a rocking week!

~EJW~