Super-thanks to Sharon, the MaineMuse, for the awesome review of The Disenchanted Pet! See it here: http://mainemuse.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/the-disenchanted-pet-by-kate-policani/
I also added the link to Compulsively Writing Reviews!
Author Archives: Kate Policani
A New Review!
Categories: My Books
Tags: book, ebook, fiction, mainemuse, review, science-fiction, thanks
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The Lustre is Almost Here
I just hit “send” on an email for the last read-through for my Think Tank of The Lustre! Kathleen Firstenberg will be editing in February, and I am hopeful that The Lustre will be out at the end of February or early March! I’m a little drunk with excitement right now! Stay tuned for my trailer video….
Categories: My Books
Tags: Author, books, debut, ebook, Fantasy, new, reading, self-publishing, The Lustre, Writing
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The Candle Lighter Award
The Candle Lighter Award
Originator, Believe Anyway
Special thanks to Maria Tatham for awarding me the Candle Lighter Award! I am honored and so glad that my blog has lit up the web for you! The Candle Lighter Award originated from the blog, Believe Anyway.
Quotes from the site:
“I call my award The Candle Lighter Award. It is for blogs and bloggers that light a candle in the darkness with their blog.”
“I think people that are going through the efforts to be positive and make the world better through their efforts and blogs deserve to be recognized. I am always looking for encouragement and ‘light’. I want my faith, my optimism, and my love for life to help to set the world ablaze.”
I’m passing along this award to:
Angela Fish, the Caffinated Autism Mom is a dear friend from College, my “secret sister” (go Barkers!) and a fabulous mom with two amazing boys struggling with the challenges of autism. Angela takes her challenges with humor and valor, trusting God to work out the details. She uses her site to raise awareness and aid other moms struggling with the same challenges.
and
Laura Pfundt, the Quillwielder is a web-friend from the other side of the world, who fills her blog with interesting and helpful info for writers. I don’t know what her faith is, but she definitely makes the web brighter with her supportive and welcoming attitude! Not only does she spread light with her blog, but she has taken it off-blog too. She has given me a fantastic critique for The Lustre which has given me almost double the word count and made my writing doubly good! Thanks again, Laura!
Congratulations, Angela and Laura, for lighting candles! Enjoy your award and pass it along to sites you admire.
Categories: Awards
Tags: award, Believe Anyway, blogging, Candle Lighter Award, faith, kindness, light, Maria Tatham
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My New Favorite Earrings!
I had one of those ideas that hit you right while you are trying to go to sleep, only this time it wasn’t for writing. It was for promotion! What do you think? I hope they’ll be conversation-starters. I may try making them with some other media too because it was so much fun making them!
Categories: My Books
Tags: Author, book, conversation, earrings, jewelry, promotion, publicity, self-publishing, The Disenchanted Pet
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Interesting, Exciting contest, and my doubts…
I discovered an exciting contest from Amazon yesterday here: https://www.createspace.com/abna Amazon is going to review book pitches and choose six to be published by Penguin! This is wonderful and I immediately read up on it linked everything, and put some important excerpts into a OneNote notebook. I set up an Astrid task reminder to alert me when to submit because submission opens toward the end of this month.
When all that was done and I had time to mull it over, the doubts set in. Maybe I should wait until next year because…I may not be ready for the work of traditional publishing. I may not want to be published traditionally yet anyway because I love the autonomy of being Indie. My writing may benefit more from a year of waiting. It looks like a lot of work and do I have the time to make it work? Do I want the work that comes from success?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m still going to submit something. But it wasn’t a snap decision, partly because I had time to think about it.
What do you think about this contest, and would you enter? Explain. (This will be graded on a curve and late papers will be docked a grade percentage for each late day. :P)
Categories: Writing
Tags: Amazon, Author, contest, CreateSpace, indie, manuscript, Penguin, pitch, Self-Publish, writer
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Book review: Inspiring Childhood, Inspiring Life by Nadia Riell
This isn’t one from my list. It is a book newly available by my dear friend! See my review on http://katepolicanisreviews.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/inspiring-childhood-inspiring-life-by-nadia-riell/
Living life whether you’re growing up, already gown up or also in the role of parenting, is certainly not a perfect science. There isn’t a “one size fits all” formula to follow in order to achieve success or happiness, yet most of us want to achieve them.
So begins this intentionally compact collection that mirrors the short conversations and simple words that can inspire our lives, from children to adults. As love, friendship, choices and experiences we face impact our world, they are also thought provoking in how we view the world and see ourselves in it.
Refreshing like a quick hug, smile or a pat on the back, this book offers encouragement and joy for reaching potential through life’s lessons, hopes and dreams.
For more about the author, visit http://nadiariell.com
…or you could just go buy the book right now!
Inspiring Childhood, Inspiring Life is available in ebook and paperback form:
Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/116771
Categories: Reviews
Tags: Author, book, Childhood, ebook, inspiration, parenting, review, wisdom
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Shameless Begging
Please, oh please would you review my book? If you don’t have a review page, that’s OK! There is still no review for TheDisenchanted Pet on Smashwords. Amazon can’t have too many reviews.
If you want, I will squeeze your book into my review list in exchange for a review of mine. I am happy to send you a free e-copy coupon code if you will review it after you read.
Email me at katepolicani@gmail. and we’ll talk turkey!
Author Blog-in: 2 weeks until start!
Sign up now!
The author blog-in is coming up in just two weeks! To get your choice of days, please sign up now. Feel free to share the page with your author friends too. Spread the word and widen our audience about our wonderful books!
All the information is here: https://katepolicani.com/author-blog-in/
Categories: Author Blog-in
Tags: Author, book, ebook, promotion, publicity, publishing, reading, share
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Problems…
I am really enjoying reading all the books I bought from my followers! I am seeing some fantastic writing, and some really wonderful stories. There have, however, been some problems therein. I won’t blab who they are or tear them down in public. I wouldn’t want anyone to do that to me. The thing is that usually we can’t see a problem with our writing until someone points it out. So I will! This may or may not be your problem, but regardless, you can learn from it.
Problems:
- Explaining too much: This is the main reason I want to stop reading a book. When you explain everything in detail, you have to be careful not to tell us too much. Telling too much can lead to boring the reader who just wants the action to move forward, leaving no mystery for the reader to discover later on, or getting lost in scenery and description that doesn’t actually tell a story. I have read some published works by successful authors that begin with a protracted description of someone I don’t know who isn’t real and I don’t really care, so I move to the next book.
- Not explaining enough: There is a fine line between not enough and too much. You have to be really careful about that. A few things I read recently left me wondering what was going on and if I was accidentally starting with #2 in a series by accident. I really love the technique of experiencing the confusion of the protagonist as you move through your story, but don’t keep us confused. Make it long enough in finding things out to be pleasurable and short enough to be gratifying. Also, adding in a character with lots of back story as if we already knew them is a mistake. You should introduce characters like you introduce people. We don’t need tantalizing details about a character if you don’t intend to develop them. That makes it seem like an excerpt and not a full story. Also, we don’t want to hear their embarrassing private details just after we meet them. Later on, maybe we do, but we’re not loose, so don’t get fresh going to far too fast. I’m not that kind of girl.
- Unlovable characters: There are personality flaws that are endearing and personality flaws that are off-putting. You need character flaws or your characters don’t seem human. (Sometimes they aren’t human.) To connect the reader to our characters, we have to carefully choose their flaws. If you give your character too many bad flaws, then you won’t have a lovable character. Flaws that are endearing are things like clumsiness, awkwardness, chronic misfortune, and self-consciousness. They are lovable because we all have some or all of them and in a book they either harm no one or provide comic relief when they do. Flaws that nobody loves are self-pity (because if you pity yourself, we feel like your pity portion is covered), spoiled-brattiness, self-delusion, sullenness, inability to act when necessary, selfishness, and smugness. These flaws should be used on a “bad guy” or on a main character who gets spanked and changes for the better. I read one character who essentially dared the world to disapprove of her. Bad idea. Even if we don’t disapprove, we might be convinced to disapprove on principle.
- Scattered story momentum: In one story I read, the writer was trying to pepper her story with scenes where the main character and the love interest were confronted with their attraction for one another. The trouble was that these were done randomly and often in inappropriate context. The scenes didn’t build in intensity toward a climax, rather the characters were flooded with a random level of attraction unconnected with the previous or following levels, and then suddenly remembering their reasons to hold back, seemed to completely forget their attraction. It was confusing and made the two characters appear mentally unhinged. Remember the flow of your story and chop out anything that gets in its way. It’s the boss, and gets to go first.
- Names that all sound the same confuse me!: I have a character flaw myself, and that is if you name your characters Mike, Matt, and Mitch, I will confuse them and forget who I am reading about. My own technique I use in my own writing is to always name my characters with a different first letter than all the other characters. I strayed from that pattern and confused myself in The Disenchanted Pet by naming the male brother characters James and Justus. My editor and my friends found repeated instances where I was writing about one and named the other. I had to read the whole piece through a few times to correct mistakes based on their names.
- The flow of the story gets lost in dialogue: Dialogue is vital and enhances a story, but when the characters just move from place to place and talk, it can bore you to tears. If you are reading a book that is supposed to be about people talking to one another in different places, that is one thing. If you are reading a book that claims to be a thrilling adventure, this doesn’t work. Move them around and do stuff to them, and let them talk about it a little.
- Too many feelings: I am a girl and I love hearing about people’s feelings. But even I can’t handle the level of feeling-sharing sometimes. Do share the feelings that are relevant to the action of the story as they happen. Do not share all the feelings of all the characters about everything. Some characters should be an enigma and not knowing what goes on in their head will be fascinating. Why did they do that? I don’t know! Maybe if I read more I can find out. It’s why Edward in Twilight liked Bella. It wasn’t wrong.
Don’t feel bad if this punches your story in the eye. I’ve made some of the same mistakes and a little beating does your writing technique good. If you are out to tell your story and get everyone to praise you without working at it, you had better just give your stories to your close friends who don’t criticize you. If it is your art, and you strive to make it better and more beautiful, then you’ll love and hate all the criticism, but you’ll grow from it.
Write on!
Don’t Be Afraid!
Don’t be afraid! Come along with me through my story. Suspend your disbelief and open your heart. Wrap yourself in beautiful words.
Don’t be afraid! Immerse yourself in the emotions of another. Make them your own, just for a little while. I promise they won’t take you over.
Don’t be afraid!
Nobody will judge you here in these pages for being too susceptible, too emotional, too gullible. If you can’t feel it, you can’t be swept up in the magic. You can’t become someone else.
Don’t be afraid!
When it’s over, you can go back to your life, your limits, your reality. But for now, let go. Let me take you on a journey of amazement using only letters and punctuation. I’ll bring you back safe, and if you want, nobody has to know you were ever between these pages.
Don’t be afraid!
Whirlwind Book Tour Book 5: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand
Yes, you have seen this book before on my site! To see my review from the Farsighted debut tour, go to http://katepolicanisreviews.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/farsighted-by-emlyn-chand/
Announcing the Farsighted Social Media Whirlwind Tour!
As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Farsighted eBook edition is just 99 cents this week.
What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including lots of Amazon gift cards (up to $100 in amount) and 5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 30th, so you don’t miss out.
To Win the Prizes
- Purchase your copy of Farsighted for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
- Fill-out the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
- Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
- BONUS: If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance at $100!
- DOUBLE BONUS: If I receive more comments than any other blogger, *I* win $100.
…And I can win too!
Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in the poll.
The Featured Events include:
Monday, a guest blog on Novel Publicity! Emlyn kicks off the tour on the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog by discussing her brightly burning passion for books in a guest post entitled “My journey through the pages and toward a life-long love of reading.” One commenter will win an autographed copy of Farsighted. Don’t forget to enter for the other contest prizes while you’re over there!
Tuesday, Twitter sharing contest! A tweet is tiny, only 140 characters. But on Tuesday, it could win you $50. Send the following tweet across the twittersphere, and you just may win a $50 Amazon gift card. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. The winners will be announced Wednesday morning. Here’s the tweet: Looking for a fun read to round out your holiday break? The paranormal YA hit Farsighted is just 99 cents! http://ow.ly/81Dt1 #whirlwind
Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest! Yup, there’s yet another awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this time it just takes a single click! Visit Google+ and share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see the Stay Farsighted book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. Two chances to win with just one click! How about that?
Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the Farsighted book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs.
Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Are you ready for some more fun? Take a picture of yourself with your copy of Farsighted either in paperback or on an eReading device, then post it to Emlyn Chand’s Facebook page or email a copy to author@emlynchand.com. You just way win one of three Amazon gift cards! A $100 prize will go to the photo with the most interesting setting (so put your holiday travel time to work for you). Another $50 will go the funniest photo, and one more prize of $50 will go the scariest photo—this is a paranormal YA book after all. An autographed copy of Farsighted will go to one randomly selected entrant. For more details about this contest, please visit www.emlynchand.com.
Remember, it’s all about the books!
About Farsighted: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Farsighted is the winner of the 2011 Dragonfly eBook Awards. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
About the Author: Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.
Now please enjoy this exciting excerpt from Farsighted…
“Did Dad tell you? A new tenant moved into the old pharmacy next door.”
“Really?” I ask, not letting on I already know. If I feign ignorance, Mom’ll divulge all the details. “What is it?”
“It’s a psychic shop,” Her voice crackles with excitement like a fire that’s just beginning to burn. “The All-Seeing Miss Teak. Isn’t that cute? Miss Teak, Mystic. Ha, I wonder if that’s her real name.”
I laugh. “That is funny. Never had a psychic in town before. What’s she like?”
“Oh, she’s very friendly. Why don’t you go over and say ‘hi.’ I’m sure she’d like to meet you.”
“Okay, I think I will.” I’m incredibly intrigued, because first off, it’s a psychic shop—how weird is that?—and second, its presence made Dad super uncomfortable—also very cool. I waste no time heading next door to check out the scene.
As I step cautiously into the new shop, a recording of soft, instrumental music greets me. I can make out chimes and a string instrument I don’t recognize but for some reason reminds me of snake charmers. The smell of incense fills my nostrils, which explains the burning I detected earlier.
“Hello?” I call out into the otherwise quiet room.
Nobody answers. I walk in deeper, sweeping my cane out in front of me in a metronome fashion. This place is new to me, so I need to be especially careful while moving around.
Thump! Despite my precautions, I stub my toe on something hard, big, and made of wood. Just my luck to stub the same toe twice in one day. I reach down to press my fingers into my throbbing foot to alleviate some of the pain. Something teeters before rolling off of the chest and across the floor; the sound it makes indicates a curved path. Suddenly, the object stops. Somebody’s stopped it.
“Hello?” I call again.
“Hello,” a deep, feminine voice responds, placing more emphasis on the first syllable than the second.
“I- I’m sorry I knocked that thing over. I didn’t mean to…” I hope she’s not angry. Probably not a good idea to get on a psychic’s bad side.
“That wasn’t just a thing, it’s a crystal ball,” she says as she walks over, sending my blood pulsing through my veins. I sense her looking at me for a moment before she places the ball back on top of the chest.
“Can it see the future?” I ask, allowing my curiosity to outweigh my uneasiness.
“No.” After a pause lasting several beats, she continues. “But I can see the future sometimes when I look into it.”
“Oh, okay.” I tighten my hand around my cane and turn to leave. It may not be the most polite thing to do, but all of this hocus-pocus stuff is freaking me out more than I would’ve guessed.
The psychic lady speaks again, stopping me cold. “Don’t run away, Alex Kosmitoras.” She must’ve spoken to Mom earlier today. That must be how she knows my name.
“I’m not running away,” I say meekly. “I’m just going back over to Sweet Blossoms.”
“Don’t run away,” she repeats—this time she speaks louder and with more energy. “Don’t run away from your abilities. They are gifts.”
“What?” I ask in confusion. What abilities is she talking about?
“You already know. Watch. Listen. Be open to your gifts.”
I turn to face Miss Teak, but find she’s already gone, returning to wherever she was before I got there.
Is it safe to leave? I trail my fingers across the wooden box I ran into earlier; a thick coat of dust clings to the tips as I pull away. If this shop just opened, why is it already so dirty? I wipe my hands over my shirt to get the gritty substance off. Shivers rock my whole body. Something about this place is wrong, and I’m not sticking around to figure out what. Tapping my cane along the floor, I’m able to find the exit without knocking into anything else.
Categories: Blog Tours
Tags: Author, book tour, ebook, Emlyn Chand, excerpt, farsighted, novel, novel publicity, review
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Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, everyone! My web friend Tahlia Newland gave me a wonderful present yesterday! She posted her review of The Disenchanted Pet on her blog! You can see it here:
http://tahlianewland.com/2011/12/23/review-the-disenchanted-pet-by-kate-policani/
Thank you, Tahlia, and I hope you all have a Happy New Year!
Love,
Kate
Categories: My Books
Tags: Author, book, Christmas, ebook, review, Tahlia Newland, The Disenchanted Pet
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Wah! Where is the Tag Surfer?
WordPress! Why did you move my Tag Surfer without telling me? It’s confusing now and hard to find. I didn’t give up, though! Everyone I followed today, I found you with lots of confusion and clicking.
Now, to find your tags, I tried to go to Readomattic. That has an option to click “Tags” and I was hopeful. Then I had to click the link and go to the WordPress.com home page (which I could have done by typing it in or clicking the W on the tippy-top left side of the page.
SO! To find your tags, no surfing available anymore, go to the WordPress home page and click the “Topics” tab. You only get one little tag, now and not the plethora we used to enjoy. You can pick from their “tag cloud” or type it in the “Search Topics” box.
Is this how it is going to be now? Who knows? WordPress seems to me to be in a constant flux since I started in April, so this might not be it. The OCD in me will find out your little tricks! You can’t fool me!
***Update! I also discovered the tab in the WordPress Home Page called “Read Blogs” where you can find your old tags, the blogs you have followed, find people you know, and browse through WordPress’ recommendations for your viewing enjoyment. It isn’t as cut and dried as before, but it works.
Categories: Tag Surfing
Tags: Author, blog, changes, home page, how-to, tags, Wordpress
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Whirlwind Tour Book 4: Scorpio Rising
Announcing the Scorpio Rising Social Media Whirlwind Tour!
As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Scorpio Rising eBook edition has dropped to just 99 cents this week.
What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including 2 Kindle Fires, Amazon gift cards up to $100 in amount, 5 autographed copies of the book, and 5 autographed copies of its recently released sequel, The Sting of The Scorpio. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 23rd, so you don’t miss out.
To Win the Prizes:
- Purchase your copy of Scorpio Rising for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
- Fill-out the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
- Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
- BONUS: If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance at $100!
…And I can win too!
Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in the poll.
The Featured Events include:
Monday, Blogaganza on Novel Publicity! We’re kicking-off on the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog. We’ll ask the writer 5 fun and random questions to get everyone talking. Leave a comment or question in response to the post, and you may win an autographed copy of Scorpio Rising or its sequel, The Sting of The Scorpio. Don’t forget to enter for the other contest prizes while you’re over there!
Tuesday, Twitter sharing contest! A tweet is tiny, only 140 characters. But on Tuesday, it could win you $50. Send the following tweet across the twittersphere, and you just may win a $50 Amazon gift card. Autographed copies of Scorpio Rising and its sequel, The Sting of The Scorpio, are also up for grabs. The winner will be announced Wednesday morning. Here’s the tweet: Looking for a read that’s full of love, drama, and betrayal? Scorpio Rising has been reduced to 99 cents! http://ow.ly/7zA2s #whirlwind
Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest! Yup, there’s yet another awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this time it just takes a single click! Visit Google+ and share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see the Scorpio Rising book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. Autographed copies of Scorpio Rising and its sequel, The Sting of The Scorpio, are also up for grabs. Three chances to win! How about that?
Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the Scorpio Rising book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. Autographed copies of Scorpio Rising and its sequel, The Sting of The Scorpio, are also up for grabs.
Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Win a Kindle Fire! Two are up for grabs! Visit Monique’s website to leave a comment on any of her posts and sign-up for her author newsletter. One person will win for each method, so be sure to do both.
Remember, it’s all about the books!
About Scorpio Rising: Set in New York and Paris amid the glamorous and competitive worlds of art and real estate, Scorpio Rising takes the reader from the late 1940s to the 1960s through the tumultuous lives of its heroes. Alex Ivanov is the son of a Russian immigrant and part-time prostitute. He yearns to escape his sordid life and achieve fame and fortune. His dreams of becoming a world-class builder are met with countless obstacles, yet he perseveres in the hope of someday receiving the recognition he craves. Half a world away, Brigitte Dartois is an abused teenager who runs into the arms of a benefactor with an agenda all his own. When she finds out that her boss has an ulterior motive, she flees again, determined to earn her living through her art. This career brings her fame, but also the unwanted attention of her early abuser. Monique Domovitch’s debut novel, Scorpio Rising, is a compelling tale filled with finely etched characters and a superb understanding of the power of ambition. Scorpio Rising promises to resonate with all who once had a dream. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
About The Sting of The Scorpio: In Scorpio Rising, Monique Domovitch presented a compelling tale filled with colorful characters and the manipulation of power, ambition, and greed. Now she gives us its spellbinding sequel, The Sting of the Scorpio, where Alexander Ivanov returns to New York with his new bride, Brigitte. The real estate industry is ripe with opportunity. Blessed with irresistible charm, ambition, and the single-minded obsession to succeed, Alex plots and manipulates his way to almost mystical success. Everything he touches turns to gold, but it’s never enough. When a hostile takeover bid leaves him struggling to save his beloved company, he suspects those closest to him of plotting his downfall. Brigitte, the beautiful redhead who abandoned her country and her career to become his wife, feels alone. In return, Alex has betrayed her time and again, each indiscretion cutting deeper into her soul. Brigitte’s son, David yearns to be an artist, but Alex’s plans leave no room for such frivolous goals. He grooms a reluctant David to become the heir apparent until a devastating tragedy attracts the attention of another young man. The Sting of the Scorpio is a rich tale of a man at the mercy of his own greed and a woman bound by her need for love. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
About the Author: Monique Domovitch began writing at the age of fifty-five. Two years later, she has two self-published novels—her Scorpio Series—and a three-book deal with Penguin, for books she has written under the name of Carol Ann Martin. Never seen without her laptop, Monique and her husband travel the world and divide the rest of their time between their homes in British Columbia and California. Monique loves to hear from readers! Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.
Categories: Blog Tours
Tags: Author, blog, blog tour, Monique Domovitch, novel, novel publicity, Prize, promotion, Scorpio Rising, win
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Why An American Novelist Reads Manga…
I mentioned in my chart on Me, Sleep, Caffiene, and Writing that I read Manga, and that I’d write more about that later. Well here it is!
Yes, I confess, I read manga. If you don’t know what that is, they are comics from Japan and sometimes Korea. They are posted on lots of sites online and also are the basis for Anime. These comics are not all written for children. A great number of them are written for teens and adults, and there are even labels for the age/sex group they are written for. (Shoujou = girls, Shounen = boys, Josei = women, and Seinen = men)
No, I’m not a high-schooler dressing up in bizarre outfits in public. I am a boring, slightly odd homemaker reading Manga in my spare (hehe) time.
I think it has been a big boost for my writing and here is why:
- It is free. (Yep. Cheap-o alert!) Surprisingly, I don’t have wads of money to spend on books and the library, though it is free, often has a waitlist for ebooks. Yeah. Cause that makes sense… Anyway, many Manga are free because they are scanned and translated in the US by people who love them and want them to be available here. Many aren’t yet (or ever) licensed here in the US, so this is 100% legal. There are scads of websites and apps devoted to reading these free “scanlations” (scan + translation).
- Quality varies. All the work is done by amateurs and often people for whom English is not their first language. This is actually good because it sharpens my skills regarding what is wrong and why. If grammar is bad, or sentences don’t make sense, I can correct them in my own mind to cement what not to do myself. If they are too indecipherable, I skip them, but overall they are mostly readable.
- The format of Manga consolidates a single or very few ideas in the story. These aren’t classic novels here. They are cranked out by the thousands and usually center around a single concept. Often these concepts are bizarre and seem mismatched, but that adds to the interest and creativity in connecting them. Seeing these ideas highlighted is a great way to learn more about them.
- The ideas are universal. Marc (my hubby) and I talk a lot about universal themes. Most writing employs them and Manga are no exception. The fact that they come from an entirely different culture emphasizes that fact. Japan is a nation based on very different foundations from the Western world and yet many of the human struggles in the writing are basically the same.
- I’m learning a new culture. I suppose that I might not get an accurate view of American culture by reading comic books, but I do get some idea. The same goes for Manga. Also, Manga are more widely-read there than they are here and so they can write to a broader audience than we do. I absorb so much insight from their different attitude towards daily life as seen in their light literature.
- The light reading of simple stories fits with my busy life. I can read a manga chapter in 5 minutes and it is often just what my sleep-deprived and exhausted brain needs. I love stories–wild and imaginative stories. I can’t get them from magazines (ugh). Novels are often too much for my weakened mind to tackle, but I still hunger for the story. This is where Manga fit in perfectly.
So that’s why I read Manga, and why I think it enhances my writing!
If you’re interested in trying some Manga reading, there are tons of places online you can go to for them. There are also lots of apps for Android and Iphone that connect you directly to them! I’m using one called Pocket Manga right now.
Here are some Manga websites to be read online or downloaded:
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Kate Policani 