tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33472245573458525832024-03-05T21:13:53.496-06:00On Literary IntentThe trials and tribulations of an author in progressK.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.comBlogger540125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-29588680865559526932016-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:002016-09-22T08:00:52.689-05:00Back From the Dead!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, this is just a little post for some general info on Peacemaker and other sundries. A FAQ, if you like. (though, in all fairness, FAQ sounds like you’re saying something rude. Just sayin’.)<br />
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<b>Is this a new book?</b><br />
No. Peacemaker is the same book that was published by Intermix back in 2014. However, it was only published in ebook format at that time, and so the print version is a new beastie.<br />
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<b>If this isn’t really new, why should I buy it?</b><br />
If you haven’t read it yet, then duh, buy it. If you HAVE read it in ebook, technically, there’s no reason for you to buy it again. However, if you want a print copy, this is your first shot at that. AND… There is a small teaser at the end of it, the first chapter of the sequel. So that at least is new material.<br />
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<b>When will the sequel be out?</b><br />
I have no idea. I haven’t written more than the first couple of chapters of it. My major goal at this moment is to get JJD6 written and out, and THEN start on the Peacemaker sequel. Ideally, I could have both JJD6 and AW2 out next year, probably one toward the beginning and one toward the end. (Don’t hold me to that. Life happens.)<br />
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<b>Where can I get the print version?</b><br />
You will be able to order through Amazon, as always, and as part of my newest endeavor, your local bookstores can also order copies in. (Not just a copy for you personally, but ones to have on the shelf!) Please please PLEASE make sure that your local bookstore knows about it. I am one person, I do not have a huge publicity department, and that’s where I rely on you!<br />
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<b>Where can I get signed copies?</b><br />
I’m working on this. Not only for Peacemaker, but for all of my Pirate Ninja Press books. Ideally, I’d like to partner up with one of the local indie stores here in KC to be able to provide that service, but it’s a work in progress. HOWEVER… Because my books are now “order-able” for bookstores, this also means that I COULD do signings again, in bookstores. I haven’t arranged anything like that, because frankly I’m scared to death to approach these people and have them laugh at me. But give me time.<br />
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<b>I want you to come sign books at MY store, how do we make this happen?</b><br />
If you have a connection at your local bookstore, by all means, mention it to them and have them reach out to me if they would be willing to host a signing. (kari.stewart21@gmail.com) My travel budget isn’t huge right now, but I am totally willing to see what I can do.<br />
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If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in a comment at the bottom of this post, or even email me if you like. Hate mail & sexual harassment will be graded and ridiculed publicly.<br />
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K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-5665116133926913942016-09-06T12:25:00.000-05:002016-09-06T12:25:52.159-05:00More Ingram & Other PleasantriesTada!!!<br />
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All four of my self-published books are now available on Ingram. This means that your local bookstores & libraries should be able to order them with no problem. However, this means that YOU have to go ask them to!<br />
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If they need specific ISBNs, here they are:<br />
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A Snake in the Grass - 9780997950410<br />
A Line in the Sand - 9780997950427<br />
Second Olympus - 9780997950403<br />
The Music Box Girl – 9780997950496<br />
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Also, Peacemaker’s official re-release will be on November 1st, but it should be available for pre-order well before then. I’ll keep you posted on that one! I’ve seen the rough draft of the cover art, and it is swoon-worthy. It makes me really want to write the other two books in that trilogy, just so I can see what covers the amazing Robin Ludwig comes up with.<br />
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And speaking of writing. Now that I seem to have the administrative portion of self-pubbing caught up for the moment, I really need to get back to writing. JJD6 is on my agenda, as is AW2 (the Peacemaker sequel). And at some point, I should really write something new to get to my long-suffering-but-amazing agent. I’ve dabbled all summer, but nothing has really taken hold of me. Hoping I can turn this latest rush of book energy into writing energy.<br />
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K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-80537367390123766272016-08-20T19:18:00.000-05:002016-08-20T19:18:53.740-05:00Ingram and YouPart of me wants to try to do this like some cheesy 50's health class movie. "Ingram and your body..." But in the interest of time (and sanity)<br />
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Most of you (I hope) saw me announce that The Music Box Girl is now available through Ingram. And you may be thinking "But MBG has been out for a while, what does this mean?"<br />
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The very short answer, for most of you, is nothing. For the longer answer, read on.<br />
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Ingram is a part of publishing that is largely invisible to the average reader. They are a book distributor & printer. When you buy a book at a B&N or indie store, it most likely got there via Ingram.<br />
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You may say "but wasn't Createspace already printing and distributing your books?" Yes! Good question. The difference is that Ingram is the supplier that most bookstores and libraries order from. See, Amazon (Createspace) is a direct competitor of other bookstores, so they don't want to order from someone who is actively trying to put them out of business.<br />
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There are other things that also make Ingram preferable, involving wholesale ordering prices and the ability to return books that don't sell, but that's probably a bigger topic than I intend to cover in this Cliff's Notes version.<br />
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So, back to the question. What does this mean? It means that MBG can now appear on library and bookstore shelves. It means that someone could be browsing a bookstore and pick up my book and think "Hey, this looks cool." And just like that, I could have a new fan. It also means that I can do in-store book signings much easier, since the stores can actually order books to have on hand. My hope is that we (my family and I) will be able to travel more in the next few years and get to places where folk might want to see me.<br />
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"That's fantastic! How can I help?" I'm so glad you asked! The thing that will do the most good is to tell people. Ask your local indie store to order copies in. Request the book from your local libraries. Let them know that Second Olympus and the JJD books will be coming soon in the same format. Get the word out, folks! Help me, Obi-Wan. You're my only hope.<br />
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Also remember that, before the year is out, Peacemaker will be re-released, in print for the very first time. This too will go through Ingram as well as my other channels. Tell the world!K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-6334213799947605602016-06-15T12:22:00.000-05:002016-06-15T12:22:44.722-05:00The Beginning of the EndI’m sitting here on my lunch at the Real Job™, making notes about JJD6. Just notes. No actual writing yet, because if I start writing it, then I have to finish writing it at some point in the future. And then it’s over.<br />
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I mean, I always knew it would be over someday. Jesse’s story has been plotted out, beginning to end, since the first day. I’ve known since May 20th, 2007 how this would go. That’s a really long time, when you stop to look at it. For nine years, I’ve had this guy living in my head. I feel like I know him just as well as I know any real person in my life. Maybe better.<br />
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How do I say goodbye to that? I have to, of course. The story ends, like I always knew it would. I wonder, three years from now, five years from now, will I think “I wonder what Jesse is up to now?” and be tempted to write about him again? Right now, I have no plans to. The only thing worse than a story ending is a story dragging out long past its natural life. No zombie stories here, thank you very much!<br />
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Jesse’s been good to me. Better than I have been to him, that’s for sure. I have dreams that in some alternate universe, Jesse probably hates my guts for all that I’ve put him through. But he’s soldiered on, coming out on top against long odds again and again.<br />
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All I have to do is start typing the words. Some of them will be a surprise to me, because even though I know how it goes, I don’t know how it gets there. Some of them have been floating around in the dark spaces of my brain for nine years. Once I put them down on paper (on computer screen), they’re out. There will be a hole in my cranium where they used to be. There will be a hole where Jesse used to be.<br />
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So I make notes, for now. <br />
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Because I’m not ready to write it just yet.<br />
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K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-70021587457642924212016-05-11T08:19:00.000-05:002016-05-11T08:21:53.783-05:00#SPFBO 2016<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
What is it, you ask? It is the “Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off”!<br /><br />Last year, organized by author/blogger Mark Lawrence, 10 brave bloggers took on the responsibility of reading and reviewing 273 self-published fantasy novels, with the ultimate goal of choosing one ring to rule them all. Er…one winner. You can read all about<span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-great-self-published-fantasy-blog.html" style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif;" target="_blank">last year’s competition here</a><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif;">!</span></div>
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It was such a huge hit that they’ve decided to do it again, and guess what, I’m participating! I’ve submitted The Music Box Girl, one of 300 entries into this year’s contest. (that’s right, <b>300 entries</b>. They had to cap the submissions because it was so popular). Now, we (the authors) don’t win anything, other than some good word of mouth, but I’m really mostly excited about learning about OTHER people’s books. My new favorite might be in there, and I don’t even know it yet!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br />My book got slotted into the group to be read by <a href="http://qwillery.blogspot.co.uk/" style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif;" target="_blank">The Qwillery</a>, and if you didn’t already know about them, you should totally check them out. They do really good book reviews, as well as fascinating interviews, and I’ve found quite a few new reads through them.</div>
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If you want to see a list of all of the submitted books, as well as the bloggers who have taken on the herculean task of wading through 30 books a piece, you can visit <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/2016/03/spfbo2.html" target="_blank">Mark Lawrence’s blog post</a></span> about the contest. He keeps a running list of posts there as the bloggers talk about their assigned books. He has also started <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/favourite-covers-from-spfbo-2016.html" target="_blank">another post</a> </span>where each blogger picks their three favorite covers, and it will be updated as they all respond.<br /><br />SO, if you see the hashtag #SPFBO, that’s what I’m talking about, and I’m hoping to be able to read a few of the submitted titles as well over the course of the summer.<br /><br />Happy reading, everyone!</div>
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K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-60846860882296496522016-03-24T12:42:00.000-05:002016-03-24T12:42:40.505-05:00Who is The Music Box Girl?<br />
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BOOK REVIEWERS! I will be ordering proof copies of The Music Box Girl within the next few days. If you want me to reserve you a print copy, email me at kari (dot) stewart21 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you’d rather have an ebook copy, I can make that happen too, just let me know what format you want it in. (sorry, folk, I can't just hand out books to everyone who asks. You need to have an actual book review site before I can give up my proof copies)<br />
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Thus far, you can pre-order the ebook here:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Music-Box-Girl-K-Stewart-ebook/dp/B01CIPKGW6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Kindle</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-music-box-girl-ka-stewart/1123489063?ean=2940152902631" target="_blank">Nook</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-music-box-girl/id1090297905?mt=11" target="_blank">iBooks</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-music-box-girl" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
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The print copy will be released approximately a week prior to the ebook release (which is April 26th), so that everyone can be reading it on release day!<br />
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Any questions?<br />
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K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-66486876349978068702016-03-10T09:49:00.000-06:002016-03-10T09:49:00.789-06:00So You Want to Be a Writer!I had an aspiring young writer email me with a few questions the other day, and after I got done answering him, it occurred to me that the questions were really good, and that others might find the answers interesting. So here they are, posted for your perusal, with his permission.<br /><br /><i>I'm wanting to be a writer, and I have some questions. How did college help you become a writer? When did you know you wanted to be a writer? What did you do early on that helped you? Is there any specific advice you have for me? What are some benefits and drawbacks to being a writer?</i><br /><br />You’ve asked some really great questions, but I’m going to kind of answer them out of order.<br /><br />First off, a lot of my earliest memories were of wanting to be a writer. When I was really young, I’d write stories set in my favorite worlds (books or comic books that other people had written). That’s called fan fiction now, but I didn’t know the word back then. I just knew I was having fun. I didn’t really start trying to create my own worlds until I was probably your age (12-13), and trust me when I say that those were really REALLY bad. But I got better.<br /><br />However, that doesn’t mean that everyone that writes is a writer from day one. I have several friends who didn’t start trying to write/publish books until they were in their 50s. (and they’re doing quite well, actually)<br /><br />When I got to college, I chose to major in English with an emphasis in Literature (instead of an emphasis in Writing). I did that on purpose, because it helped me learn HOW to read. It taught me about story structure, and literary devices. I learned about voice and style, and I learned all the rules and when/how to best break them. There’s a lot more that goes into telling a story than just the words you use.<br /><br />The best thing you can do as writer is read. Read everything, in many different genres and many different styles. Make mental notes about the things that other writers do that you like, and don’t like. Note the things that you think they did well, the parts of the book that made you gasp or tear up, and note which things made you want to throw the book across the room. Think about, if I had been the one to have this idea, how would I have done it better, or different?<br /><br />The benefits of being a writer vary according to what you want to get out of it. If you want to make a lot of money, being a writer might not be the best course of action. There are exceptions of course (Stephenie Meyer, J.K. Rowling), but most of us don’t make a huge amount of money. If you just enjoy exploring different worlds and sharing those with other people, then it’s totally the thing for you. Some people write, just because they like writing, and they never have any intention of showing it to other people. Some people like writing and letting other people read, but they don’t care about money, so they just post their work online for free. And of course, there are people who write solely with an eye toward publication. There are many different roads to Oz, and only you can decide what Oz is for you.<br /><br />I know that even if I never published another book in my life, I would still write. There are people and worlds in my head that need out, ‘cause it gets crowded up there.<br /><br />But really, one of the biggest benefits of writing is that you will be a better writer. That will be obvious in any job you ever try to have in the future. Being able to express yourself well in written format is starting to be a rather rare skill, and employers notice. (and trust me, even if you want to write as a career, you will need a “real job” too. At least in the beginning)<br /><br />Being a writer also teaches you about follow-through and commitment. I’ve heard a lot of people who say they are writers, but they’ve been working on the same project for like ten years and never actually finish it. You have to finish stuff. You have to slog through the hard parts, whizz through the easy parts, and find an ending. Even if you never touch it again after that moment, just finishing something is an accomplishment.<br /><br />One of the drawbacks of being a writer is that you live in your own head a good deal of the time. It can be a little lonely and frustrating when you know that not everyone around you “gets” that your brain isn’t always in this world all the time. The trick is finding a group of like-minded people who you can share your work with, and who understand the same struggles you’re going through. It doesn’t even have to be people that you know in real life. I have a great group of writing friends that I met online years and years ago, and even though we all write very different things and are at different places in our careers, we’re all still really close and are always cheering each other on. ((Caveat: Don’t talk to people online without your parents’ permission. They’d kill me. ;) ))<br /><br />Three good pieces of advice: <br /><br />1) We have a saying in my writing group: “I am allowed to write utter poo.” The first thing you put down on paper is NEVER going to be perfect. It’s actually probably going to be pretty bad. And I say that about every writer ever, no matter how long they’ve been writing. But the great thing about having it on paper is that it’s THERE, and you can always edit. The only thing you can’t edit is a blank page. Editing is one of my favorite parts of the writing process, because I get to go back through and polish it up to be as awesome as it is in my brain. Sometimes, when I’m writing the first draft, I have to rush to get it down so fast that it’s not exactly right yet, but I know as long as it’s there, I can always go back and make it better.<br /><br />2) Grow a thick skin. If you want to put your writing out for other people to see, you have to be able to take criticism. Now, there are people who will read your stuff and just be mean because they’re jerks. And those people you can cheerfully ignore. But for the most part, especially if you can find other writers to communicate with, they’re just trying to help you make things better. And also realize that not everybody likes everything. It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad writer, it just means you didn’t click with that particular reader.<br /><br />3) The two most useful questions you will ever ask yourself as a writer are “Why?” and “What if?” Every story I have ever written has started with a “what if” kind of question. That’s where ideas come from. You start with what if. “What if fire fighters had super powers?” Then you flesh it out with “Why?” Why would firefighters NEED super powers? What happened in this world that makes it a necessity? How did the world get that way? What other effects would it have? And suddenly, you’ve built an entirely new world with its own people and rules and you’re writing a story.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I hope you all find these questions as interesting as I did. I actually had a good time really thinking about the responses.K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-19891171155940761262016-01-25T08:09:00.003-06:002016-01-25T08:09:44.732-06:00Jesse, The Music Box Girl, and More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Thanks to everyone who made Jesse James Dawson’s birthday so awesome! It’s nice to have days like that where I remember that there are people who love him as much as I do. Make sure to go out and leave a review on Amazon and/or B&N when you’re done reading! If you didn’t like it, feel free to say so! Every review matters.<br />
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Once you reach the end of the book, I’m sure you’ll notice that I’ve included the first chapter of something else, called The Music Box Girl. This will be the next project I’m self-publishing, and I hope to have it out sometime in April. It’s already written, and fairly polished, but I’m wanting to take my time with the print copy design on this one. Trying to get fancy!<br />
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AND<br />
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I promised other good news, and while the above is all good news, that wasn’t what I was referring to.<br />
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Some of you may have noticed that Peacemaker has disappeared from all sales channels. (It’s okay, I’ll wait here while you go verify, but I promise, it’s gone) This is actually a very good thing! Intermix, the original publisher, has reverted the rights to Peacemaker to me, and I am now free to re-release it, and in a PRINT version this time!<br />
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Not sure my timing on this one, since I want to get MBG settled first, but before summer, Peacemaker will be available again in a shiny new edition, and in print for the very first time! I’ll keep you posted on dates. And yes, this will most likely lead into me finally writing the sequels to Peacemaker in the near future.<br />
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I feel like this year is going to be a great year!</div>
K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-21111311226513896252015-12-30T19:00:00.000-06:002015-12-30T19:00:50.162-06:00Just gonna leave this here...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFXF10YmQ1FeLOpM5pOY6NUl9qsbQ5S6b8wWEWl4IBZa_vGh92NQ0PKKPKesStvRFaFdhtuQeqglmN4B8vZKDoWdA8JIBQKQehe26Mi240S3M3Sy4hHPR6IIx4fcwIhi3pw8-PVPP1IqW/s1600/Line+Sand+Ebook+Sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFXF10YmQ1FeLOpM5pOY6NUl9qsbQ5S6b8wWEWl4IBZa_vGh92NQ0PKKPKesStvRFaFdhtuQeqglmN4B8vZKDoWdA8JIBQKQehe26Mi240S3M3Sy4hHPR6IIx4fcwIhi3pw8-PVPP1IqW/s640/Line+Sand+Ebook+Sml.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<br />K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-90432065075044307352015-12-08T08:23:00.000-06:002015-12-08T08:23:09.300-06:00The Nuts and BoltsFirst things first, thanks to everyone who purchased <i>Second Olympus</i> during my birthday sale! I hope everyone loves it (or at least doesn't want to throw tomatoes at me). Once again, I beg,implore,grovel at your feet to PLEASE post reviews to places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The number of reviews a book has (doesn't matter if they're good, bad, or indifferent) dictates which books get picked up by the system for things like "If you liked this book, you might also like THIS one!" which can bring me to new readers. The general rumor is that 50-ish reviews is the golden spot for being included in the system algorithms, and you'll note that not a single one of my books has that many reviews on Amazon. Love an author? Leave a review.<br />
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Secondly, <i>A Line in the Sand</i>, better known as JJD5, is now available for preorder! Ebook only, of course, because preordering the print copy isn't something that's available at this time. The release date is currently January 23rd (bonus points if anyone can guess why), so I'll try to have the print copy released prior to that, so that we can all hopefully be reading on the release date.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Line-Sand-Jesse-James-Dawson-ebook/dp/B018SM7BVM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449582755&sr=8-3&keywords=k.a.+stewart" target="_blank">Kindle</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-line-in-the-sand-ka-stewart/1123057937?ean=2940152495126" target="_blank">Nook</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-line-in-the-sand-10" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-line-in-the-sand/id1063762501?mt=11" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br />
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Now, you might be saying "But why is there no cover art? We want a cover!" Well, yes, so do I. Very very much, in fact. But, things have to go in a certain order when designing a cover, so I'll gladly bore you with excessive details.<br />
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Pick up the book nearest to you. Look at the spine. Most likely, the cover of the book has a front piece, a back piece, and a spine piece. Well, the front and back covers will always be the dimensions you designate. For example, my self-pubbed JJD covers will be 5x8. The spine dimensions, however, are determined by how thick the book is. More pages = thicker book = wider spine. Everything has to fit just so to line up with the edges of the book. So, you can't begin designing a print book cover without knowing how many pages your book has, first.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8jk_Ooe75sgO7FzuUJO9xEV0o088jMduIRF-PbrzA50ErOeSVHLiDKBb5Augkh-4abLuFxBqjqJQ5EsSZs6hM9ztt6ELaXRrDE7onUOvL1l9jkirI5bpVYGO5uz39esCnQ3jR75Jlr29/s1600/Snake+Grass+full+sml.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8jk_Ooe75sgO7FzuUJO9xEV0o088jMduIRF-PbrzA50ErOeSVHLiDKBb5Augkh-4abLuFxBqjqJQ5EsSZs6hM9ztt6ELaXRrDE7onUOvL1l9jkirI5bpVYGO5uz39esCnQ3jR75Jlr29/s320/Snake+Grass+full+sml.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Look! Visual aids!</div>
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So where does that leave me? Well, last night I finished making editing notes on JJD5. Some were handwritten new paragraphs, others were things like "Awkward sentence", or "re-order" or "WTF?". My next step is to start typing all those changes into the actual Word doc that is my manuscript. Once that's done, I can copy/paste the document into a template that will become my print book file. I have to decide all about the front-of-the-book material, and if I want to include pages at the back from any of my other books, that sort of thing. Only when that is ALL done, and I can get a final page count, do I then request my cover from my cover artist.<br />
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I'm hoping to have the edits all done by the 16th at the VERY latest. That was the deadline I gave myself, and getting it done sooner would make me do a happy dance. I'll probably spend a couple of days (or three, or four) getting the print copy formatted and prepped, and then I'll email about the cover. I'm pushing the time limit to get everything set for a January 23rd release date (all final files have to be uploaded by January 13th at the very latest), but I'm way behind where I wanted to be originally anyway, and I hate to drag it out any longer.<br />
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In the meantime, while we wait, I give you my Christmas Groot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vmRsIOFtv3m3RtxSLV-DISO-IEevANBTlR6_vI1TQsj0deWGfDd04h6YTjTELfCEj_-URau7V4OYYBHnmlxhvecPElz9ES6P9xdBjeEKx9L-LYum-vB-9n5kWTMtlfgxxlx2HFES3J8v/s1600/Christmas+Groot.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vmRsIOFtv3m3RtxSLV-DISO-IEevANBTlR6_vI1TQsj0deWGfDd04h6YTjTELfCEj_-URau7V4OYYBHnmlxhvecPElz9ES6P9xdBjeEKx9L-LYum-vB-9n5kWTMtlfgxxlx2HFES3J8v/s320/Christmas+Groot.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-42848061151283605792015-11-02T16:05:00.001-06:002015-11-04T13:29:34.736-06:00Happy Birthday to ME!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7tnwKMWTzxlzt2mXLjpvbQbgfPtyvnI2iIcZnX1oVGPhTsm1Q9ziFARI9kEiduTkaerW9MyKuhJK_g4WibQMRov7_OU1CMBl1ImXe3dUQUcdFGF0x1dHMgProLvTQ0b4jPt66OhkKKzy/s1600/Second+Olympus+Ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7tnwKMWTzxlzt2mXLjpvbQbgfPtyvnI2iIcZnX1oVGPhTsm1Q9ziFARI9kEiduTkaerW9MyKuhJK_g4WibQMRov7_OU1CMBl1ImXe3dUQUcdFGF0x1dHMgProLvTQ0b4jPt66OhkKKzy/s320/Second+Olympus+Ebook.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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So, in honor of my birthday at the end of the month, I've decided that I'm going to make the ebook of Second Olympus just $0.99 for the entire month!<br />
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If you haven't tried this one yet, now is the time!<br />
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You can find Second Olympus at your favorite retailer!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Second-Olympus-K-Stewart-ebook/dp/B00VH6XN3C/ref=sr_1_4_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446501688&sr=8-4&keywords=k.a.+stewart" target="_blank">Kindle</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-olympus-ka-stewart/1121677629?ean=2940151848183" target="_blank">Nook</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/second-olympus/id981942505?mt=11" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/second-olympus" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/531958" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-28100742001003542792015-07-16T12:49:00.000-05:002015-07-16T12:49:40.772-05:00Ode to Sarah I was seven years old (almost 8!) when <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088247/?ref_=nv_sr_4" target="_blank">The Terminator </a>came out in 1984. I don’t remember a lot of the marketing around it, but I have a vague recollection that I thought it was some kind of horror flick, which put it solidly on the “mom won’t let me see it” list. And given that it was rated R, at seven, she was probably right.<br />
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However, I was about fourteen when <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103064/?ref_=nv_sr_3" target="_blank">T2</a> came out. Now, kids talk, so I had a general idea what the original movie was about. I could even quote a few of the lines that had made it into pop culture. So I was all gung-ho about T2. I think, by this point, my mother had given up on trying to protect my impressionable young mind.<br />
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I can’t remember if I saw T2 in the theater, or waited until it came out on VHS. (yeah, that dates me a bit) I do remember being wowed by the special effects, and that my father loved them too. Even now, when I watch it again (it’s one of my comfort movies), I always have to think that my dad loved it.<br />
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I also remember wanting to BE Sarah Connor. Like I had wanted nothing before in my life. She was strong. She was decisive. She was fiercely protective of her child. She wasn’t scared of anything. There was no softness to her, no apologies, no hesitations. She got the job DONE.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFPJjRrUMnJXy5XuizE98laA1CcQbMfsysnXSDjKwuMry9URvd_cWFUyj1IHdm6f0zqkX_t2DqhJLLDWIJQ7LSZ3IkAro3swDJV1FIbJa5oKV5CZv3i9J94pF0Yl7VFnxfCd7MxykJhQE/s1600/Sarah+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFPJjRrUMnJXy5XuizE98laA1CcQbMfsysnXSDjKwuMry9URvd_cWFUyj1IHdm6f0zqkX_t2DqhJLLDWIJQ7LSZ3IkAro3swDJV1FIbJa5oKV5CZv3i9J94pF0Yl7VFnxfCd7MxykJhQE/s320/Sarah+1.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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I wanted to be that, so very badly. To have that much knowledge of the world, to be prepared for any situation that might come up. To just not be scared. I taught myself archery, herbal lore, field medicine. Never could handle the noises guns make, so I skipped that part, but at one time I was wicked with a throwing knife and a hatchet. I was ready for it, if the time ever came. I didn’t know what IT was, but dammit, I was ready.<br />
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Later, as I grew up, I came to understand more of the subtleties of the character. I mean really, no way around it, she was batshit crazy. Sure, her delusions weren’t actually delusions, they were true, but that foreknowledge had taken a toll on her mind. She struggled with day to day life, trying to connect the reality she lived in with the one that everyone else saw.<br />
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More than anything, I took away that she wasn’t perfect. She made mistakes. I found some comfort in the fact that she probably wasn’t going to win Mother of the Year, but she could probably come in a close runner-up. She loved her son with everything she had, and she tried desperately to prepare him for the worst possible scenarios. It was the only thing she (or anyone) could do.<br />
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I have tried to do the same with my own daughter. No, not training her to lead the rebellion after a robot apocalypse (though, I bet she could). Just to be prepared for whatever the world might throw at her. I try to challenge her mind, asking her to think over questions and situations she may never actually have to confront. I try to challenge her body, making sure she is strong and healthy and capable of taking care of herself. I’m not training her to be a prophesied world leader, but her generation will someday have to run this world, and at least one of them should have a vague idea about what they’re doing.<br />
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I’m not sure if I ever became Sarah Connor. Probably not. I did let go of some of my more militant habits (if I try to throw a knife at you now, I'm more likely to injure myself than you). Put on a few pounds more than she would probably have approved of. But I like to think that she’d have agreed with how I’ve raised my child. I guess only time will tell if I’ve done her justice.<br />
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K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-42088457030862521782015-07-06T10:29:00.000-05:002015-07-06T10:29:45.953-05:00Five Years InOn July 6, 2010, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Details-Jesse-James-Dawson/dp/0451463439/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436195129&sr=8-1&keywords=a+devil+in+the+details" target="_blank"><i>A Devil in the Details </i></a>released. Over the past few weeks, I've been contemplating what it means to be five years into my publishing adventure.<br />
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Of course, to say that I'm five years in is probably inaccurate. Prior to the actual release of Devil, there was the whole getting the sale, and before that, there was getting the agent, and before that, there was the writing... And it seems like I've been writing SOMEthing forever. <br />
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So where am I now? I'm on my second agent, I have six books published (four traditional, two self). I've written quite a few other books in the spaces in between. Jotted down ideas for a LOT more than that. I'm obviously not rich and drinking mai tais on a beach somewhere. (does anyone know what a mai tai actually is? I've never had one) I've changed Real Jobs once, in the interim. My kiddo went from seven years old, to twelve. (a teenager soon, wtf? Who allowed that?) I went from seeing my ten-year anniversary with hubby, to my fifteen.<br />
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Not sure I'm where I wanted to be (see aforementioned beach and mai tais), but I also think that my wishes and expectations were based on a misconception of what this whole "being an author" thing is really like. The journey I've been on so far is actually fairly typical, from what I've been given to understand in the time since. Very, very few of us get the Big Sale and go on to Fame and Fortune and Movie Deals. I have to remind myself of that on the days when I've slipped down the hill into "why bother land".<br />
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In all honesty, I can't complain about where I am. My stories are in the hands of so many people that I don't even know. People are living in my worlds, even if just for a little bit, and that's really all I could ever ask for. I think about this a lot, especially as Jesse's story is slowly reaching its end. Even though I know how the story ends (and a little bit about what happens after the big finale), I'll miss running around in Jesse's world. I wonder if other people will do the same. I wonder if they'll be willing to follow me into new worlds. I have plans for the Arcane West world. Caleb and Ernst are waiting patiently for me to get back to them. I have plans for new worlds, amazing worlds. I want to visit space, I want to adventure in dustbowl era Kansas. I might revisit Elysia, sometime in the future, to check on Geoff and Lia. <br />
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I'm looking forward to writing another post like this in another five years. They say (y'know, "they") that the ten-year mark is when an author really starts to have a career. Not sure I believe it, but the only way to find out is to keep moving forward. <br />
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So I guess maybe what happened in the last five years is not so important as what might be coming in the next five. Stick around, you'll probably be as surprised as I will.K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-41416810716990664062015-05-12T19:30:00.001-05:002015-05-12T19:30:32.339-05:00I Survived 1st Grade!Today, I had the great honor of going to talk to a class of first graders at Scott Elementary School. This was my very first school visit as an author! I was a little uncertain at first what I was going to say to young kids who aren't really the target audience for my books, but they came up with some really great questions about the writing process, and at the end, we all wrote a short story together as a class!<br />
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First pic is me talking to the little ones. They had questions planned out ahead of time, but once we got started, the little hands shot up and there was no plan after that. It was great.<br />
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Before I left, we all took a group picture, and there was a small riot over who got to stand actually touching me.<br />
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Then, we had to do the obligatory silly face picture: </div>
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Also, once they figured out that I knew the Baymax fist bump noise, I was infinitely cooler. Many thanks to Miss Boyle who invited me to come and spend time with her students! I had a blast!<br />
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<br />K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-77713942219323390482015-05-06T20:21:00.001-05:002015-05-06T20:21:56.339-05:00And the winner is!Ok, I don't know about y'all, but I had a LOT of fun doing this. (And the folk who run IMDB are currently trying to figure out why I spent the last hour rapid-fire looking up actors I wasn't familiar with to check out everyone's cast lists)<br />
<br />
So, after careful consideration, and some very scientific wibbly wobbly timey wimey type calculations, I have come up with my winners. Drumroll!<br />
<br />
Or not.<br />
<br />
First place, and winner of the $25 Amazon gift card is: Dragonflylass<br />
Second place, and winner of the $10 Amazon gift card is: Josh<br />
<br />
Both of you email me at kari.stewart21 (at) gmail.com, and let me know what email address you want your gift card forwarded to. (If Amazon isn't quite your thing, let me know, we'll talk.)<br />
<br />
Of course, if you showed me yours, I now have to show you mine.<br />
<br />
Some of these are absolutely in my head who should play it. Some of them are folk who would be good, but there were other really good ones in the casts you all came up with, too, and now I just don't know! Some of them would require some makeup, and possibly some CGI to pull off the right look, but ain't movie magic grand? ((And obviously, there were just a few where I couldn't make up my mind))<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anyway, thanks for indulging me in this bit of silliness. I'm glad you all read and enjoyed Second Olympus. Tell all your friends, and remember to leave reviews at your favorite sites. Every one helps. </span></div>
K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-63243098810131520462015-05-01T19:26:00.002-05:002015-05-01T19:26:40.144-05:00Second Olympus: The Movie<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdr1acvWSHtmR6uOegbTqmdgSB4UmP3NlbP0jmchS8JYkMTLxE1K9H1abfrI5PhnaEqFOGVEd9PYVliwEMdtzz7OnHcyz6hp-h_Clo6ShM6n5fg7Tp2kjMd23WvZ9O4z1gc27zD7e28q8c/s1600/Second+Olympus+Ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdr1acvWSHtmR6uOegbTqmdgSB4UmP3NlbP0jmchS8JYkMTLxE1K9H1abfrI5PhnaEqFOGVEd9PYVliwEMdtzz7OnHcyz6hp-h_Clo6ShM6n5fg7Tp2kjMd23WvZ9O4z1gc27zD7e28q8c/s1600/Second+Olympus+Ebook.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Only in an author's fondest fantasies are their books actually made into movies. But that doesn't mean that we can't dream. I mean, c'mon. Imagining stuff is what we get paid for!<br />
<br />
So imagine with me, people! In the comments below, leave your ideal cast list for the characters listed below. They can be past or present, you can specify young or old (for example, young Marlon Brando is <i>very</i> different than older Marlon Brando). If you need more inspiration, check out <a href="http://literaryintent.blogspot.com/2015/03/second-olympus-playlist.html" target="_blank">this earlier post </a>featuring my Second Olympus Playlist!<br />
<br />
I'm limiting everyone to ONE entry per person (yes, I know that there are a several married couples who may be competing, so it's up to you guys if you want to enter as one, or as individuals) ((I may have just ruined a couple of marriages))<br />
<br />
Because I know there are folk who are busy this weekend (*waves hi to the Malice Domestic crowd*), I will leave the contest open through next Wednesday (5/6). I'll post the 1st and 2nd place winners that evening.<br />
<br />
1st place winner gets a $25 Amazon gift card, and 2nd place gets $10! Woohoo!<br />
<br />
Remember, only the first 12 characters are must haves (and if you truly can't figure one out, it's okay to leave it blank. I've got a few I haven't cast yet, too). If you want to put some names to the "Others" section, you can do that just for fun.<br />
<br />
<u>Olympus Tower</u>:<br />
Heracles<br />
Artemis<br />
Persephone<br />
Demeter<br />
Hades<br />
Hephaestus<br />
<br />
<u>Deeptown</u>:<br />
Geoff<br />
Lia<br />
Ambert<br />
Jon / Rik (they're twins, remember?)<br />
Keras<br />
Raffa<br />
<br />
<u>Others</u>:<br />
Art forger<br />
Old Stan<br />
Young Stan<br />
Fons<br />
Drones<br />
Hunstmen<br />
<br />
And....GO! (Have fun, folk) K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-43437031117674954072015-04-24T07:38:00.000-05:002015-04-24T07:38:45.368-05:00Your Mission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3G_0zoS0ZHsplaHSN0vPaAztwNZbI9ofPTWBIaJUmvBU77LNUOa04qdToElsA29K4PTRGE3Nr8eGAgNawPnS8ynSw2-T5WIK3pERCN-mVCEzQ-NjqEJv5bc0YyonsaWwMPgNOvKrHBpJl/s1600/Second+Olympus+Ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3G_0zoS0ZHsplaHSN0vPaAztwNZbI9ofPTWBIaJUmvBU77LNUOa04qdToElsA29K4PTRGE3Nr8eGAgNawPnS8ynSw2-T5WIK3pERCN-mVCEzQ-NjqEJv5bc0YyonsaWwMPgNOvKrHBpJl/s1600/Second+Olympus+Ebook.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
Should you choose to accept it, and I really hope you do, or this will be the lamest contest ever.<br />
<br />
So, people often tell me (usually in reference to the JJD books), “Hey, this would make a great movie/TV show!” Well, in all honesty, I’ve never believed that the JJD books would translate well to film. There’s too much internal introspection in dear Jesse’s head that I think would be lost on the big (or little) screen.<br />
<br />
However, I have <i>always</i> believed that Second Olympus would be my “movie book”. I have a <a href="http://literaryintent.blogspot.com/2015/03/second-olympus-playlist.html" target="_blank">soundtrack picked out</a> and everything. And occasionally, I amuse myself by daydreaming about who would play who in that movie.<br />
<br />
So here’s what we’re going to do! I want YOU to cast my Second Olympus movie. I’ve got a list of main characters below, and I’d love to know how YOU picture them. <br />
<br />
Now, you’re thinking, “As fun as this is, this seems like it could take some time! What’s in it for me?” I’m so glad you asked! I will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to my favorite cast list. Second place will get a $10 Amazon gift card! To win, I want casting for the 12 “main” characters. (the “others” listed at the bottom are just for fun, if you have someone perfect in mind)<br />
<br />
Since this kinda requires that you have READ the book, and not everyone reads super fast, I’m announcing this today, and then NEXT Friday (May 1st), I will put up a new post and THERE you will list your answers. That gives you a week to read and ponder.<br />
<br />
REMEMBER: Don’t leave your answers on THIS post, wait til next Friday and we’ll do it then.<br />
<br />
Now, you may have see me mention a few actors that I see in a couple of the roles, but don't feel like you're bound to that! I want to know what YOU picture. So get reading, and on May 1st, have your cast list ready!<br />
<br />
<b>Second Olympus Cast List</b><br />
<br />
<u>Olympus Tower</u>:<br />
Heracles<br />
Artemis<br />
Persephone<br />
Demeter<br />
Hades<br />
Hephaestus<br />
<br />
<u>Deeptown</u>:<br />
Geoff<br />
Lia<br />
Ambert<br />
Jon / Rik<br />
Keras<br />
Raffa<br />
<br />
<u>Others</u>:<br />
Art forger<br />
Old Stan<br />
Young Stan<br />
Fons<br />
Drones<br />
Hunstmen<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-54624476487562716912015-04-20T08:58:00.002-05:002015-04-20T08:58:59.651-05:00Tomorrow, Tomorrow!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Second
Olympus</i> releases tomorrow. Hold on a
second while I pause to truly take in that statement. Part of me still hasn’t quite registered
(despite the fact that I’ve had two early readers come back already and say
they loved it).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
those who haven’t ordered yet, shame on you!
(I kid) Here is the list of where
to find the book:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Print
copy:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.createspace.com/5277452" target="_blank">Createspace</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Second-Olympus-K-A-Stewart/dp/0692388818/ref=tmm_pap_title_0" target="_blank">Amazon</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-olympus-ka-stewart/1121677629?ean=9780692388815" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ebook:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Second-Olympus-K-Stewart-ebook/dp/B00VH6XN3C/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Kindle</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-olympus-ka-stewart/1121677629?ean=9780692388815" target="_blank">Nook</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/second-olympus/id981942505?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">iTunes</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/second-olympus" target="_blank">Kobo</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/531958" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>
(for a variety of formats in one place!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Remember,
if you love the book (any book, really), or even if you don’t, PLEASE go out
and leave a review at Amazon and/or B&N.
I can’t emphasize enough how important reviews on these sites are for
authors. And I don’t mean just glowing “OMG,
I wanna have this book’s babies” kind of reviews. They don’t have to be deep, in-depth literary
analysis of each line of prose. They can
just be a “hey, this rocked my socks” or “It was just kinda ‘meh’ for me.” All reviews are valuable, so please, take a
few minutes of your time and drop a few lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Next
week, I think I wanna play the “Cast the Movie” game with this book, so for
those of you who will be reading this week, think about who you envision in
these roles. I will tell you right away
that for Keras, I’m picturing Steve Buscemi, or maybe John Leguizamo. Let me know how you see him!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-51438257623580558562015-03-31T18:45:00.001-05:002015-03-31T18:46:11.593-05:00Second Olympus - Cover Art!<br />
Once again, <a href="http://www.gobookcoverdesign.com/" target="_blank">Robin Ludwig Design </a>has knocked it out of the park.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWpWswf4FthSGa5XH53uGQPVqUEy1Ahd2S8yoeRZYyuIBrqRMwAGLJLx2gxIiXrwV3q7wo9Bo0jMgTDXTqqgIDWH_3xdB6nNqlsU7JwMETTErmPMEBLDsXcIp_jWXrZQo1CfgS52Bu5v0/s1600/Second+Olympus+Full+Sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWpWswf4FthSGa5XH53uGQPVqUEy1Ahd2S8yoeRZYyuIBrqRMwAGLJLx2gxIiXrwV3q7wo9Bo0jMgTDXTqqgIDWH_3xdB6nNqlsU7JwMETTErmPMEBLDsXcIp_jWXrZQo1CfgS52Bu5v0/s1600/Second+Olympus+Full+Sml.jpg" height="294" width="400" /></a></div>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
For those who want to read the back, you can click on the pic to make it bigger, or here's the text:<br />
<center>
<br /><b>AND THEY WILL COME FROM BELOW</b><br /><br /><i>The war amongst the Greek gods lasted over three decades and when it was ended, the sun was snuffed from the sky, Artemis sat on the throne, and the muses were murdered.<br />
<br />
Without the power to create or invent, the human race languished for generations, trapped within the walled city of Elysia, their lives governed by the steady tick of the great world clock and the watchful eye of their increasingly erratic goddess.<br /><br />But in the lower wards, far from the shining beacon that is Olympus Tower, a crippled boy named Geoff has grown to manhood, unaware of the legacy contained in his own mysterious bloodline. When his loved ones are threatened, the world will finally wake under the power of the muse, and the insane goddess Artemis will remember the very dangerous power of human imagination.</i></center>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And just another close up of the front, 'cause I lurve it!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgli2YFBTqGAQTrGR7thvR1a2GiQXDKB-O3wFvtSBPW9AMfsOSXDh4tSJHRC-AWjqCZIWZa6EyzjFFzIS7l_XZR2Ebzly9fp5EBd3Wp11HusqzRJwj-vLblbgCKhW0PJL0oBVYhaI-6-pQJ/s1600/Second+Olympus+Ebook+Sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgli2YFBTqGAQTrGR7thvR1a2GiQXDKB-O3wFvtSBPW9AMfsOSXDh4tSJHRC-AWjqCZIWZa6EyzjFFzIS7l_XZR2Ebzly9fp5EBd3Wp11HusqzRJwj-vLblbgCKhW0PJL0oBVYhaI-6-pQJ/s1600/Second+Olympus+Ebook+Sml.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Current plan is to try and have the preorder option processing by tonight, with an eye to an April 21st release date. Most likely, I will release the print copy a few days prior to that, to make sure that everyone can READ it on the release date. <br />
<br />
I'm so excited! K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-64236597866683084802015-03-16T11:29:00.000-05:002015-03-16T11:29:24.384-05:00Gooey Sticky SyrupI suppose by now that it’s pretty clear that I’m not gonna hit the March 24th release date for Second Olympus. Well, it was worth a shot. <br />
<br />
The good news is, the cover art is still in progress, and that’s really the only thing I’m waiting on. Once I get that, I can hit the button and get this ball rolling. Still hoping to give it a “pre-order” period, even if just for a couple of week. Still hoping to have this out in April, but no promises, and no set date.<br />
<br />
Other than that, I’m just plodding along. Got that feet stuck in thick syrup feeling, lately. I’m making progress, but it’s slow and steady, rather than abrupt and thrilling/terrifying. Truthfully, I’m not sure which is better. Patience is not one of my favorite things, but neither is abject terror.<br />
<br />
Folks are getting antsy about JJD5. Trust me, it’s coming. I pick at the outline now and then when I need a break from MMwD, and this morning, I actually wrote down the first few paragraphs of a chapter just so they’d quit taking up room in my head. Goal is still to have this one out and available this year, though not sure just when. Won’t be a summer release like the others, but I feel like that’s not so important in the big scheme of things.<br />
<br />
Nothing else going on but life in general. As it happens to all of us. (well, most of us, I guess. I don’t discriminate against the undead)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-6389878796139362532015-03-01T18:57:00.000-06:002015-03-01T19:06:57.954-06:00Second Olympus - The PlaylistAs mentioned before, I had a playlist for this book. Most of the music was sent to my by a friend, and while it wasn't for the purpose of connecting it to the writing I was doing at the time, it just worked out that way. Perfectly, in fact.<br />
<br />
I wanted to make a Spotify playlist to link here so that you could all listen to it as well, but unfortunately, some of this music is a little obscure, and therefore not available. I DID manage to find them (most of them, anyway) on Youtube, and so I've made you a Youtube playlist instead.<br />
<br />
Again unfortunately, I can't figure out how to get that playlist to display MY notes on the songs to you, so I'll be doing that below.<br />
<br />
It's not my intention for you to sync listening to the songs to reading the book. That would be silly, and impossible. It is also worth it to note that I very rarely picked a song for its lyrics. Some of them aren't even in English. More, I picked it for the sound of it, the mood I felt it conveyed. Also, don't bother looking at the videos themselves. They were chosen as the best example of the music I could find.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLRSkisd_vJhk-W-2qNcGUd-MndoMT5I4c" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
The name of the song & artist are available in the videos above, so down here, I'll just label them by number, and where I believe they fit in the book. I hope that I've left them suitably vague so as not to provide spoilers. More one of those "when you've read the book, you'll understand" kind of things. It's also worth noting that I've always believed this to be my "movie book", so it's only fitting that I have songs for the opening & closing credits. Trust me, in my head, it's EPIC.<br />
<br />
1 - Opening Credits<br />
2 - Artemis' Theme<br />
3 - Looking out on Elysia <br />
4 - Heracles' Theme<br />
5 - Taken <br />
6 - Den of Iniquity<br />
7- Hunt with the Black Hound<br />
8 - Demeter's Theme<br />
9 - Across the River<br />
10 - Sanity Stretched Thin<br />
11 - A History of Things Past<br />
12 - Through the Dark<br />
13 - The Airship<br />
14 - Death in Olympus<br />
15 - Closing Credits<br />
<br />
More than all the music above, I'm hoping that if you find music that YOU like for this novel as you read, you can mention it in the comments below. You'll notice that there are certain characters that I never found a theme for, so I'm always on the lookout to update my tunes. <br />
<br />
<br />K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-67714451533157395692015-02-11T17:48:00.000-06:002015-02-11T17:50:39.096-06:00Second Olympus<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->Yesterday, as I was working on my copy editing phase for <i>Second Olympus</i>, I Googled something involving the use of the possessive apostrophe on names ending in S. (I know, wild and crazy stuff, right?) The amusing thing was, the first hit that popped up was a thread on a writers’ forum from 2008. It was my thread, asking the same exact question for the same exact reason on the same exact book.<br /><br />First off, let’s not talk about my powers of retention. Second, it made me realize that by the time Second Olympus actually releases, it will be 7 years old, and it will have a long road behind it already.<br />
<br />
I started writing Second Olympus (then called Muse) back in 2008 after I’d finished the first JJD book (then called Third Strike, since we’re talking trivia). I was querying, trying to find an agent, and I knew I had to keep writing to get my mind off of it. A stray conversation late one night with a friend lead to the idea of Muse, and I got to work.<br /><br />
It was unlike anything I’d been writing, up to that point. I had a trunked epic fantasy under my belt, and JJD1 which was urban fantasy. Muse was…different, which was scary and exhilarating all at once. I stretched myself beyond my own literary box, and in the end, I was really proud of what I’d done. I think I finished it sometime in early 2009, about the same time we sold the JJD series.<br /><br />Of course, from that point, I got busy with JJD stuff and new projects. Every so often, I’d go back to Muse and revise bits and pieces, send it to new readers, get their thoughts, add my own. My first agent wasn’t super gung-ho about it, I could tell, not because it was badly written, but because he just didn’t see a traditional market for it. And that’s their job, to know those things.<br /><br />Time went on, <i>years</i> went by. I wound up with a new agent. When she asked about other projects I had, I of course sent her Muse, ‘cause I was still super proud of it. She had the same feelings about it, that traditional publishing probably wasn’t going to be interested. That was the point where I’d just had success getting JJD4 out on my own, and I knew that I could do this. So, with her permission, I moved forward with self-publishing Muse. That actual decision was made…probably July-ish, 2014? (Yes, looking at the date in the picture below, that was exactly when I made that decision)<br /><br />I did another round of new beta readers, and their suggestions really made the book into what it is at this moment. I came up with a new title, and hopefully on March 24th, 2015, you will all get to read Second Olympus. (See what I did there? Slipped a release date right in like that. Ain’t I sneaky?)<br /><br />I can’t even count how many rounds of revisions this thing went through. I probably have four different printed copies of this thing floating around my house, and at one point, I just quit printing it out and started making my editing notes on the same draft, just in different colors so I could tell the evolutions apart.<br />
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(This picture is the pile of previous drafts of everything. Muse, JJD1-JJD4, Peacemaker, MBG. I have no idea what to do with these. Do I throw them away?)<br /><br />I should finish the copy edits this week on my lunch breaks, and then this weekend, I’ll get the print copy formatting done. Once I have a firm page count, I can commission the cover art and get this ball truly rolling.<br /><br />My goal for release is March 24th, like I said above, contingent on cover art and zombie apocalypse, of course. I’ll try to get everything up for pre-order by March 1st if I can (the print copy won’t have a pre-order phase, but I’ll make it available a few days early, like I did with JJD4, so we can all read on the release date). I’ll also try to have limited print copies available for reviewers who want them, so folk definitely need to let me know. (kari.stewart21 (at) gmail.com)<br /><br />I keep going through these deep highs and lows with this thing. The highs are where I’m SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED to have this book out and available. After all this time, it’s still one of my favorite stories. The lows are where I’m damn certain this is garbage, and that fans of my JJD books aren’t going to like something that’s so very different from what they’re used to from me.<br /><br />I guess time will tell.K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-84191172982623147602014-11-21T08:49:00.000-06:002014-11-21T08:49:47.280-06:00Another YearIf possible, I’m actually getting <i>worse</i> about maintaining this blog.<br />
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SO, where am I, and what am I doing?<br />
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First off, <i>Snake</i> has done very well since its release. (at least, in my mind) Well enough that I am wholly encouraged about self-publishing more things in the future, not just the JJD books. I fully admit, though, every time I see a sale pop up in my report, I do a little happy dance. That’s never going to get old.<br />
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My intention is to have <i><b>Muse</b></i> available in the coming spring (though I’m pondering a title change, I’ll keep you posted). It’s a story I dearly love that I just don’t think is ever going to find a traditional home. I’ll have some fun stuff to go along with it when I get close to releasing it, as it’s one of the few books I have that actually has a soundtrack.<br />
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And JJD5 I’m still pondering for fall next year, but considering that I haven’t actually started writing it yet, that’s a moving target. On the upside, I’ve finalized titles for the last two JJD books, so that’s one less thing on my brain. No, I’m not going to tell you yet, because final is only truly final when it’s on the cover.<br />
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“But, what about Ernst?” you cry. “Don’t you love Ernst anymore???” Of course I love Ernst. How can you not love Ernst? But right now, I feel like I need to finish at least ONE series before I worry about the next one. Especially when I still feel like I need to alternate writing for myself (self-published) and writing to try to sell traditionally. On that note, once I get JJD done, and AW (which is only intended to be a trilogy), I’ll be seriously considering self-pubbing my Otherkind series as well. Only have the first book of that done, but there are more in my brain, and since urban fantasy seems to be flagging a little in the traditional market, self-pubbing may be the way to go with that one too.<br />
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At the very least, I’m hoping to have those two books out in 2015, then maybe try to get AW2 & JJD6 out in 2016 (gods, it’ll be weird to say goodbye to J & Co.), and then AW3, OK1 in 2017. This is all barring any other book sales I might make between now and then, and since the Lovely Agent is currently shopping something around, it’s entirely possible.<br />
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So if I’m not working on JJD5 or AW2 right now, what <i>am</i> I working on? Funny you should ask. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ve seen me use the hashtag #MMwD. I don’t have an actual title for this bizarre thing I’m fiddling with, but in my brain, I’m calling it “Mad Max with Dragons”. You could also call it the bastard love child of “Reign of Fire” and “Book of Eli”. In short, I’m not sure what the hell I’m doing, but the words keep coming, so I’m just rolling with it. I’ve honestly lost the ability to even tell if this thing is any good. In fact, I’m about 90% sure it’s not any good. I’m about 40K words into it, which would be half a novel, but I have a feeling that this is going to be longer than my normal 80K goal.<br />
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And that’s my life in a (very large, rather disjointed) nutshell.<br />
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Feel free to ask any questions, or point and mock, or berate me on my treatment of magical jackalopes.
K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-73594221831502465312014-08-27T18:53:00.000-05:002014-08-27T18:53:07.724-05:00Ice Bucket ChallengeYup. Me too. Sorry for the tiny video, but really, no one wants to see this bigger.<br />
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<br />K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347224557345852583.post-35369053244656499212014-07-17T19:16:00.000-05:002014-07-17T19:16:45.455-05:00The Definitive ListAll right, now that things have settled a bit, here is the definitive list of places where you can buy <i>A Snake in the Grass</i>.<br />
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<b>Print Edition</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692217029/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d3_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1DCB2QF549858XPYYCC6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.createspace.com/4760030" target="_blank">Createspace</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-snake-in-the-grass-kari-stewart/1119568658?ean=9780692217023" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a><br />
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<b>E-Book</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LLQCH7Q/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d3_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=1DCB2QF549858XPYYCC6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200422&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_blank">Kindle</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-snake-in-the-grass-kari-stewart/1119568658?ean=9780692217023" target="_blank">Nook</a><br />
<a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-snake-in-the-grass" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-snake-in-the-grass/id880127652?mt=11" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br />
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/438876" target="_blank">Smashwords</a><br />
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So...how's it going? Not too bad. I've already sold enough to recover my costs, so at the very least, I can seriously consider self-pubbing the next two in the series and not take a loss at it. And truthfully, if I made even a $1 profit, I was going to continue on. I need to finish it, for Jesse.<br />
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How can you help? Buy the book, obviously, and tons of you are already doing that. Tell your friends if you love the series. See if they might love it too. And leave reviews at Amazon, at Barnes & Noble. Even if the book wasn't your cuppa, leave a review and say that. Reviews help drive a lot of the algorithms that make books pop up in the "Hey, if you liked that, you may like THIS" recommendations, which can get JJD in front of people who may never have heard of it before. <br />
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And in the meantime, I will be trying to work on something else. ANYthing else. Ugh. I have an old project, <i>Muse</i>, that I'm revisiting, with an eye to self-pubbing it too in the future. My lovely agent has given me a wishlist of things she'd love to see, so I'm trying to bang out new ideas there. And of course, I have JJD5 looming on the horizon. It needs an outline at the very least.<br />
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My problem with all of these choices is that it's too much. How to I focus on one task when...ooh, shiny! Hopefully, something will settle with me soon, and then I can get my butt in gear.K.A. Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00926336938605410096noreply@blogger.com5