indie author – Cindy Young-Turner

Tuesday teaser

Writing on book 2 is progressing! I’m really happy with where the story is taking me now, and feedback from my critique groups has been good. Here’s a brief teaser, with the caveat that it’s still a work in progress and this may not resemble the final version. Enjoy!

Excerpt from Thief of Destiny:

Tam cut a hunk of meat and handed the knife to Sydney. “Can’t believe I’ve spent all these years trying to hide from the faery folk, and this is how I end up, waiting for them to find us.”

“No one said you had to stay.”

He held her gaze a moment. “You said you’ve seen my sister. Until I get some answers, you’re stuck with me.” And with his typical smirk, he added, “As much as it might pain you to be in the company of someone who believes in the Guild.”

She snatched the knife from his hand. “You’re a fool if you think the Guild really cares about people like us.”

“People like us? Whose line is that you’re spouting, the Bastard King’s? You think a few pretty words can change how the nobles have always treated us? Or maybe it’s because you’re one of them yourself.” He gave her a mocking bow. “You are the child of nobility, after all.”

“Edgar lost everything to the Guild,” she said in a low voice, trying to control her anger, lest it draw out the Shadow Folk. “They destroyed his life and they almost destroyed mine, not to mention countless others. The same people they’d promised to support.”

“And the nobles have been oppressing the peasants for generations. Do you really think they’re going to change?”

“The Guild can’t take back what they’ve done.”

“So round and round we go. Nothing will ever change with that thinking. Better to carry on the family tradition of hating the Guild than to do something productive with your life.”

She glared at him. “I have been productive. In ways that don’t involve starting tavern brawls.”

“I admit, it’s a gift to be able to play music that inspires a riot.”

Introducing Gray Corbie Press (that’s me!)

There are so many things to think about when you decide to self-publish–cover design, formatting, pricing–and add into the mix the question of should you create an imprint name. Amazon and CreateSpace offer the option of using an imprint name when you self-publish with them. I have several indie author friends who have done that and have created a logo for the imprint that appears on their books just as you would see with a traditional publisher. Very professional looking. I have several other indie author friends who used their own name as their publisher in their Amazon listing–equally professional because as self-pubbed authors we should be proud of our accomplishments. I did some research online and found both options to be fairly prevalent. The big no-no is creating an imprint with the intention of fooling people that you have a publisher, as if you are ashamed to be self-published. A quick Google search will tell you if that’s the case if you really want to know, but who cares these days? While there may be some lingering bias against self-published authors (to me it seems more like a bias against bad books, and sadly there are a lot of poorly edited and formatted books out there), self-pubbed authors are selling an awful lot of books and giving the traditional publishers a run for their money.

I went back and forth a bit and ultimately decided I would create an imprint. It seemed like a good branding opportunity because the goal is to publish more books and if someday I decide to write in another genre, at least all of my books with have this in common. I had a lot of fun coming up with a name and a design. Why Gray Corbie Press? (Because all of the other names I thought of were already taken? LOL) Corbie is a Scottish word for raven and I have a fondness for ravens. I like the result and can’t wait to use it in future books!

Sunday snippet

Happy spring and happy Easter to those who celebrate! It is finally starting to feel like spring around here. The trees are getting close to blooming and today the sun is shining and I have the windows open. Plus I am finally getting back to writing after what seems like a long hiatus. Here is a brief snippet from Thief of Destiny, the currently in-progress sequel to Thief of Hope. And since I’m still writing it, take this with a grain of salt because who knows what the final version might look like. Enjoy!

Thief of Destiny snippet:

Sydney leaned forward. “But it’s not over. The Guild is still out there. This is more important than me or Last Hope. It’s the future of the whole kingdom. Willem’s fighting for a better life for all of us. I have to help him if I can.”

“What is it you believe in, Syd? What he’s fighting for or what he’s fighting against?” Anaria paused to take a long swallow from her tankard. “Willem seems like a decent man. I’ll give him that. But when all’s said and done, if he defeats the Guild, he’ll be our king. Don’t expect our lives to change that much. The nobles ain’t much better than the Guild. Or how about them rich bastards like Gavin who think they own this town?”

“Willem is different,” Sydney insisted. “You just said so. You met him yourself.”

“He’s a decent man is what I said. Maybe he’ll be a good king—I expect he will, but he’ll still be a king. You and me, we’ll still be who we are.” Anaria reached for Sydney’s hand. “Don’t matter how much you fight for him. Some things you can’t change.”

Sydney looked away. She had wondered about those things herself. Willem had said he wanted to improve the lives of the commoners, but could he really accomplish that? She had to believe it was possible. Willem made her believe it was possible.

New release: Enhanced by Courtney Farrell

Congrats to Courtney Farrell on the re-release of her YA dystopian novel, Enhanced! I love the cover! Keep reading for an excerpt.

At the Institute, they breed people like livestock. One powerful doctor decides which children get to grow up, and which will die. Losers are dumped in the savage slum outside Institute walls. Those kids never come back. Sixteen-year-old Michelle is a perfect specimen, destined for a luxurious life as a breeder. When her brother and her boyfriend are both mysteriously culled from the breeding program, she jumps the wall to find them. Alone in the ghetto, she’s in trouble until handsome, streetwise Dillon stakes a claim to her. She’s mortified by her attraction to a Normal. But the doctor is using the missing boys in a twisted experiment, and she needs Dillon’s help to stop him. Michelle must rescue the boys, but a plague is spreading, the doctor is after her, and Dillon isn’t thrilled to help find her lost boyfriend.

Get your copy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Enhanced-Book-One-Courtney-Farrell-ebook/dp/B00V5EZRYO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427560952&sr=1-1&keywords=enhanced+by+courtney+farrell

There is also an Enhanced Release Giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3c79ce9416/?

Excerpt:

“The game is every man for himself,” Salomon announced. “Your objective is to be the first to push the large black button on the south wall of the gym. You will be timed. Certain, eh-hmm, difficulties may impede your progress. That is all. You may begin.”

Younger boys surged forward, but stopped when they saw that none of the older ones were rushing in. “Difficulties!” Brian reminded them, putting a hand on Nick’s chest to keep him from charging in there like an idiot. “That means a trap. There’s always a trap.”

“More than one, usually,” Seth added grimly. “These tests aren’t all physical, they test your problem-solving capacity too.”

The boys fidgeted uncertainly at the boundary, peering in but carefully staying outside the white painted line on the floor. The smallest ones looked sick with apprehension. Tests turned nasty once kids turned thirteen, and this would be their first hard one. Deaths during tests were rare, but they did happen, especially among the youngsters.

“Who wants to run in there and spring it for us?” Brian grinned. No one did. He bent to yank his shoes off, muttering to himself, “He had his off.” A few other kids followed suit.

“Where’s the big black button?” Nick demanded, hopping up and down to get a better look. “I don’t see it!”

“Neither do we.” Brian grabbed the wiry kid and hoisted him up for a better view. Nick grabbed a wad of Brian’s hair and nimbly stood up on the bigger boy’s shoulders. He hadn’t taken off his shoes.

“Ow, Nick, that hurts.”

“I see the button!” Nick shouted, leaning dangerously to one side to look between poles. “It’s way up high! Too high, and too far from the next pole.” The kid swayed and deftly hopped down before falling. “I don’t see how anyone’s going to reach it.”

The doctor touched a finger to his glowing bracelet and his platform rose, carrying him up and away. His high laugh echoed back from somewhere near the ceiling. “Bonus points to Nicholas Arnold, for being the first person to pose the right question. And the clock is ticking.”

“Go!” Guys in the back began to push. “We’re being timed!”

“Fine, go.” Brian stepped aside and let an eager eighteen-year-old shove his way in. The muscular black boy put one tennis shoe over the line and the green lights on his bracelet began to move in a swirling pattern around and around his wrist.

“Look!” The boy held up his arm.

“Dhorian, you’re on!” Seth bellowed. “Go!”

Dhorian hesitated for a moment, and then grabbed the line that hung off the nearest pole. He began to climb. Boys held their breath, leaning in to see what would happen. Nothing did. For a long moment everything was still, and then a shout came from above. “I made it! I’m up!”

A stampede began as boys surged across the line. Some became entangled in the foam bushes. Those turned out to be horribly sticky, and getting through them was nearly impossible. A few guys made it to poles and began to climb. Seth, Brian, and Todd waited behind the white line. “Let ‘em trigger it for us,” Todd breathed, but nothing happened.

Simultaneously, their three bracelets made warning beeps and the lights turned orange. “Aw, hell, we’re out of time!” Brian exclaimed, and waded into the foam forest with his friends. Behind them, the wall slid shut, leaving the room in sudden darkness.

About Courtney:

Courtney Farrell is a biologist who turned her love of books into a career as an author. After publishing fourteen nonfiction books for young people, she began writing fiction. Her ‘Enhanced’ series has been nominated for the 2015 BTS Red Carpet Award in the YA division. Courtney lives with her husband and sons on a Colorado ranch where they enjoy a menagerie of horses, dogs, cats, and chickens.

Happy new year and a 2015 writer’s wish list

Happy new year! I know a lot of people who are more than happy to see the end of 2014. There were plenty of both good and bad things for me. I was really hoping to finish Thief of Destiny, but fate seemed to conspire against me and instead I ended up re-releasing and self-publising Thief of Hope. I think that will end up being a good decision. It came out in early December and that month has been the best I’ve had in terms of sales in a long time. I’ll be self-publishing book 2 and that means once I finish, the book will come out much quicker.

Here’s my annual writer’s wish list. Some of them will be repeats of last year.

1. Better time management

I’m determined to write more and waste less time on the internet. I have little enough time as it is, so no Facebook until I’ve written a page. Doable? I think so.

2. Finish book 2

All right, I think this is the third writer’s wish list and this item is still lingering. It will NOT be on the 2016 wish list. I’ve been telling people late spring. Fingers crossed I can stick with it. I have almost half of the book written, it just needs a bit of rewriting and then the big push to finish. I even have some ideas for the ending.

3. Blog more

I’m hoping to have a lot more to post about this year. Exciting things are coming. Plus I know a bunch of people with new books out that I’d like to feature. And hopefully more of those to come during the year.

4. Attend more author events

I went to Balticon last year, but that was about it in terms of events. With my book in limbo for a while, it made sense to hold off attending events and plan for 2015. I have a list of events in mind already.

5. A copy of Adobe Creative Suites

I broke down and signed up for the trial copy of Photoshop and InDesign so I could do some basic graphic design and marketing materials, but I really need to invest in a good design program.

6. Enjoy life

It’s easy to get caught up in work and family and chores and putting one foot in front of the other just to get through each day. I want to take more time to truly appreciate life, even–or especially–the little things.

That’s it for now. Wishing you much success and happiness in whatever your endeavors may be!