Eyelash was
my first novel. You know how it is—the one you wrote before you really knew
some of the “rules” such as: Show instead of tell, start at a crisis point
rather than building to it with backstory, kill the adverbs, don’t use passive
voice, eliminate weak verbs, ditch the negatives, overuse of “had,” and on and on
and on. We learn these “rules” if we are willing to take the time to study more
about the craft of writing before we move on to the next work-in-progress. An insightful resource on this topic is 11 Secrets to Getting Published by Mary E. DeMuth.
As in any new endeavor, we
take baby steps and learn how to balance what we would like to achieve with
what is actually achievable given our individual skills. My second novel, Never Say Perfect, is a good example of
working toward practical application of these writing “rules” and became a
better book for the expended effort.
That said, Eyelash, is still a story filled with
challenging family relationships, twists and turns, emotional roller coaster
rides, humor, temptation, mystery, romance and inspiration. That is why I decided to
offer it for FREE during my Kindle promotion days through KDP Select.
I’ve read everything I could
locate on the topic of how to most efficiently participate in the FREE
promotion events. I’ve eagerly devoured
various author accounts of successes and failures in undertaking a FREE
promotion. With information in hand, I have notified every possible site that
will pass along the information on my first FREE day, tomorrow-August 15, 2012.
I have sent an email to friends and family, scheduled Tweets, Facebook and
LinkedIn posts, Goodreads events, and whew!!! Have I covered all of the bases?
I doubt it! Will it be worth it? I have
no idea, but I will be certain to follow up with a post that will tell you
whether or not this promotion really worked for Eyelash.
The goal is to introduce new
readers to my characters in Eyelash
and hope that they will then be interested enough to continue with Never Say Perfect. There are two
additional titles scheduled for completion in this same series—Never Say Hopeless and Never Say Final. I’ve read all of the
scary warnings that the FREE promo days will also bring reviews from readers
who would never normally pick up a work of Christian fiction and are less than enthusiastic that they did. Hence, one and two star reviews. I’m bracing myself for
that possibility.
I just know that I’ll keep
writing because there are enough people who make it a point to tell me that
they loved Eyelash and/or Never
Say Perfect, and say, “When is the next book coming out? I can’t wait to
read it.” That’s what keeps my pen in motion.
So mark your calendars, or
write yourselves little sticky notes, but please remember to download Eyelash for FREE on your Kindle tomorrow, August
15 or Thursday, August 16, 2012, and tell your friends to grab it and run! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006GHI0U8
I'll be back when the jury is in...
Hoping your day is filled with special blessings,
Mary Anne
