Want to help my book get seen?

 Right Now Goodreads is holding their Goodreads Choice Awards. (as in, you can go vote for the best books you read in 2012, Right Now) They ask for a category, so what popped in my head Right Now was paranormal fantasy but that's basically because it's not completely a standard science fiction or fantasy. You have a better choice, feel free to vote there. I doubt I'll even come close to winning, but please just vote, and help me get noticed.
Seriously, I haven't even hired an artist, Right Now.
If you want to read it before voting, it won't take up too much of your time. The eBook estimates I've seen give it 21-22 pages.
It won't take up too much of your money either, it's only 99 cents. (and I think there's a place or two linked to the goodreads page where you can get it free for the rest of the year.)

Other than that, what can I tell you? My name is Sarah Baethge, and I'd love to get noticed by a possible publisher. (Someone who won't just stand by and let me go through my whole book spiel without bothering to state the name of the short story I'm trying to sell.)

Advice that is sure to Help Me

When I looked in my email yesterday, I got the MSS report on the draft of my upcoming novel Panoptemitry from Cornerstones Literary Consultancy (cool prize I won from iwritereadrate.com). It had not only ideas for how I can polish this book to make it pretty for publication, but it gave me a connection with an editor who seemed to genuinely care about the made up characters in my story.

(Now that's a cool feeling for a wanna be author.)

Matt R wrote out for me advice on how to improve my style of writing. I need to allow the action to happen- not just tell about it happening.

Confused about the difference? No one's ever explained it to me so I understood the concept right before now, so I might not say this clear enough:

wrong way: Having looked at this report will help improve my writing.

(I tell about what happened)

right way: Reading this report improves my entire approach to writing.

(it happens)

That wasn't everything of course, but most of the rest was kind of specific to the story; what was good, what could be improved. Why, and how so.

I'm still just thrilled I got my book evaluated like this. The timing of the report is perfect too because now I'll have advice specific to my own style of writing fresh in my head just in time for NaNoWriMo.

Vote for My eBook!

Check it out-
     My short story, Right Now is in a contest where YOU can vote!
http://www.voteformyebook.com/

Giving 'The Speed of Darkness' another go

So today I played around a bit with an image sitting in the folder of what I'm currently pulling my notes together for, a new story I'm calling 'The Illumination Query.'

If you follow my silly attempts at an online-evil-empire (don't ask me how evil got in that word, it just sounded right...), you probably know that my most noteworthy accomplishment involves the writing of a book called 'The Speed of Darkness.'
Now I did take that down off of Amazon/Smashwords/Goodreads a couple months ago, but that wasn't quite because I'd given up on it. You see, what actually happened it that the story semi-exploded in my mind- I'm not saying that it was destroyed; no, it was wonderfully  augmented off of both ends!
Keeping that first silly book intact and coinciding with all of my story additions finally seemed it would be more trouble than it was worth, so I'm just going to write a new and improved rendition when my characters make it back to Nevada.
Instead, I feel like starting maybe a year or two before those events come to pass and going a bit more fully into the story of Nigel Hunter.

The story is down!

3.29032~ months and my story's done!
This would be the longest story I've ever written, too. (currently at 54,039 words)
Pretty short amount of time when I consider how long I've worked on other pieces that I'm still not satisfied with.
Sure, I'll read over it a couple more times and polish it up some more before I send it to the editor, but if they demanded it right now, I could probably give it up.

Notice, will you, I do have an editor this time. Want to know how that came about?
I've mentioned it a few times :P but in case you didn't hear, I have a few short stories on a self-published literary website called IWriteReadRate.com. Fun place; after you read a story you're given the opportunity to tell the author what you thought of it. The idea is what finally gave me the guts to try to sell my writing. It just felt safer and less scary than baring my imaginary ideas to the whole world through Amazon.

To try interesting people into putting their books on it, they decided to hold a drawing. Anyone who loaded a story to the site would have the chance to have the IWRR people pay for a book of up to 100,000 words to be edited by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy (worth close to $1000, I hear).

If you like writing, I encourage you to come check out http://www.iwritereadrate.com/. If what I've said hasn't interested you yet, you still have the opportunity to win  a great prize by uploading some of your writing there. If you don't write but still like to read, you can have your say, too. IWRR holds a monthly competition at http://www.voteformyebook.com/ where the author of the highest voted book wins a Cornerstones professional critique of a work up to 2000 words long.

Damn you Microsoft!!! count so far is: 2

Sorry for the title; I generally try not to cuss. (probably do it a little more often on the computer because the other person isn't really there)

Its just when something happens once, I can buy that it may have been an accident but TWICE now?

What I'm talking about is what's started occurring when Windows magically decides it needs to download several megabytes and then restart itself. The thing is, when this happens on my computer,  the data files for my Chrome browser mysteriously disappear.
It's like they want to use those 10 minutes (would be 5 on Chrome) it takes to download a new Chrome to just REMIND me how glitchy and slow internet explorer really is. (Like today after it sat there stuttering a bit it gave me a happy little error window saying it needs to cut off a few extensions.)
Today, at least, my new Chrome kindly remembered it's background and applications I already had loaded (last month I found that the background I had been using was no longer available so Microsoft still owes me something for that)
As I mostly work with blogging and ebooks, the browser is of more use to me than a cell phone.
Whatever there happy updates are doing with my computer what it ultimately comes down to is they are STEALING my access to my programs.
And taking away from the time I planned to be working on the book I'm currently writing (I do have a deadline this time remember?).

So, this type thing happening to anyone else? Feel free to stick around with me and I'll count how many times their competitor's magically disappears through their routine housekeeping. (As far as I can see, nothing else in my files has been touched.)

I really wasn't going for a common theme-

Yesterday when writing on what is to become my new novel, Panoptemitry, I came to the realization that I seem to be stuck upon a constantly re-occurring (hopefully)fictional happening. Whatever else might be happening in my story, I can't seem to resist throwing in some unlucky character who suddenly finds himself as a test subject for some sort of mad scientific medical experiment. 
[already have 3 or 4 instances of this (all of my published work)]
[Nigel Hunter                                        in The Speed of Darkness]
[both Samuel Parker and Linael Darrow           in Breaking Away]
[Joe                                                                           in Right Now]
Now, as what I'm writing is 60%-75% done with an editor waiting on me in September, I really don't have time to try and change the story so I can work events out in a new way. I just thought I should make note that I do realize this is happening so I can try to keep from doing it again.

{I do plan on explaining in more detail about how the great people at iwritereadrate.com hired me this editor when the book becomes available for purchase, but if you're curious, check out their blog post about it: here.}

And no, I swear I wasn't ever experimented on myself, to cause this seeming obsession.
I'm sure it just stems from bored daydreams I had in the hospital after a car wreck, wishing to get some sort of fantastic super power as fair payment for an accident I still don't actually understand.

future review cover reveal- Shadow of the Blood Moon by Robin Waldrop

Genevieve Labreck is back with a score to settle. Her mom has been kidnapped by Zane, hybrid and all-around monster.  Rumors fly that Gen’s mom is holed away in Prague, a city recognized by humans for its serene beauty and intense culture, but Gen and Will know something humans don’t. Prague is haunted by dark, evil forces.

Can Gen and Will save her mom, or will they be too late?

Some will live, others will fall. At what price do you walk away from those you love?

Shadow of the Blood Moon by Robin Waldrop, the sequel to Ties to the Blood Moon now has its artwork, so it can soon be released. Need I mention that I like werewolves? I am looking forward to reviewing this book on my review blog.

what I'm up to (Windows 7, don't fail me now... :P)

As I'm somehow attracting new blog followers, so thought I'd share what happened today. For once I actually have a writing deadline (on my upcoming sci-fi novel Panoptemitry for  http://www.iwritereadrate.com/ [more on that later]) so I've messed with my Windows settings to make it only able to kick me off for a 'magical update' once a week. So if that is gonna happen, the magic day is Friday.
You know what that means -today it supposedly did its thing and asked for a restart.
Trusting me, I click Ok.
Big surprise: my machine won't start back up.

Did I mention that most of the 32,800+ words I already have written exist only on this laptop?


Sure, there was an earlier version of maybe 4-5 non-sequential chapters Calibre-converted on my Kindle, but as I'm now writing on chapter 12, that's more than half of what I've written! Plus all of my notes...
Eventually, after a few annoying unsuccessful runs through start-up repair  my computer came back on.
Of course the machine wants to retry its update. I'm cool with that. I'm on the internet so much, I don't exactly want to miss out on some kind of update that keeps my files/programs running right.

I'll out smart it here, I think; just Calibre-tize the newest version of EVERYTHING and give Fred that whole story!(If you wonder, Fred's my Kindle. Just the first thing that came to mind when the Kindle asked me for a 'device name.')
So I start up Calibre and it tells me to go download the update [#0.8.61 I think]; you know my paranoia about updates, with hardly any thought, I download and run it.
-couple of postpones for the Windows update here-
Finally Calibre's ready to go supposedly, but now Calibre wont start.
-maybe another Windows postpone or two as I search through my files-


Thanking whatever computer god is out there, I see I never trashed the last few Calibre updates I downloaded. (hats off to you Calibre writers, a week never passes without 1 or 2 new versions)
The newest one I have on hand is 0.8.57
After I run this update (downdate?), I am able to create a .mobi of the newest version of my story and pop it onto Fred.

Still trusting something to watch over my notes (don't ask me why), I let the Windows update run. Oh sure, there were still a few snags and running's of startup-repair, but now I think my Windows is happy enough to go awhile longer without an update.

Now I can get back to my story, that I plan to finish by September!

Get a FREE eCopy of Particle Horizon!

For anyone still interested in the book, Selso Xisto is offering his debut novel, Particle Horizon, for free on Kindle during July 4th, 5th, and 6th. Click here to get your copy
 (LINK:Particle Horizon: Free on Kindle)!

If You Believe in Love at First Sight...

The Boroughs Publishing Group is having a romance short story competition.

If you could go to www.boroughspublishinggroup.com, 
find the link to the @ First Sight contest, 
you are allowed to vote for every story pitch that interests you.
     As I've one there, I'd be happy if you could go look at the contest!

SORRY IF YOU READ THIS EARLIER, I MESSED UP THE SCHEDULING

Now that's slightly irritating #KDPselect #SelfPublishing

I'm not truly much of a salesman, but I finally took the advice of more than one person who sell or review books and removed my book The Speed of Darkness from everywhere it was published, to give me to opportunity to rewrite it as a series; with better editing, more detail and a more professional looking cover(s).
Yesterday I had far too much fun playing with MSWord; linking together all of the folders on my computer that hold the separate books (in various stages of completion) to all be accessible through one file.
You see, I think it was unpublished everywhere but Smashwords before now (if you can still find it somewhere, I'd appreciate you're telling me), I just wanted to wait until the coupons I'd given to Operation eBook Drop expired before I removed it there.
I think some children's hospital in Oklahoma or Arizona may still have the manuscript to copy for bored patients. They can continue doing that as long as they want, along with any other school/hospital I may have sent it to to give out free.
That story will be rewritten as part of the eventual third book in the series.

What bugs me is the fact that now my Smashwords page stands free of anything but a few reviews I've written. I planned to upload my new short story (currently only on Amazon) Right Now to Smashwords by the time I'd taken TSOD down there.
I even made a point of not re-enrolling it in KDP select a month ago so their'ed be no legal snags in putting it on Smashwords (I know other people've done both at once, but that goes against all that happy little mini-writing that you must check-box AGREE to when signing up for kdp-select.)
It just seems that like Thursday, when I was checking out my Speed of Darkness info on Amazon (unpublished there; only exists as a draft on my account) something possessed me to re-enroll Right Now into KDP-select.) so anyone with Amazon Prime, you can get it free if you want until September 25 (The soonest date after which I'm allowed to move it to my Smashwords page).

You can win what I'm currently reading for review!

You know how on my other blog I write book reviews? Well, you can win an autographed copy of the one I'm reading now:

Book Info:

From the blood and dust of New Jerusalem, the Legion of the LightBringer wages a galactic war against those who would replace their god. Now, the time has come for the Union of Free Worlds to make a stand. The front line is the idyllic asteroid world of Angelhaven, where the greatest mind in human history has discovered an elemental power with far-reaching implications. A power that both sides will do anything to harness.



Marine commander Gomes leads the crack Union task force. An unrelenting warrior driven by revenge and a need for answers, he hides a strange ability neither science nor religion can explain.



On the other side of the war, Aja is forced to fight for a cause she doesn't believe in to protect her own secret.


Giveaway:

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