Behind the Cover

TODAY is the day! The stunningly dark cover for Land of Corn Chips has been announced! Have you admired it yet? If no, go now. You won't be sorry.

INTO THE MORNING READS

THE READING PIXIE

THE CAFFEINATED DIVA READS

LISA THE NERD

ONCE UPON A TWILIGHT
TIGERS ALL CONSUMING BOOKS

Didn't that just make your day?

It's not exactly the cover I had originally envisioned when I began the process of having it created. See, that's a cool thing about being independent in the author world, we are in control over how our cover looks. In addition to the forlorn field and factory, I wanted zombie children with missing body parts and pieces of skin dripping out of the cornfield. But, as an independent, I also discovered credit for the coolness factor of the cover also meant responsibility for the cost. 

This cover, without the carnage, is so much better anyway. It conveys the desolate darkness I hoped for and the dragon pulls in a little fear and mystery. Don't you think?

Land of Corn Chips will be available on an eReader near you on June 6, 2011. Stay tuned before then for sneak peeks into the story and other newsworthy information. Because we all know stories are newsworthy.

If you are looking for a fabulous cover artisan to work with you on your visions or to print business cards and promotional material, Robin Ludwig Design is the best!

Peace out for now!

Awesome Co-Workers and Land of Corn Chips Cover Reveal

I complain a lot about my hands hurting all the time. It's an occupational side effect. One I'm going to have to let go of soon, else pay for it later in life. Although my job isn't good for my hands, the people I work with are good for my soul.

After giving my last massage for the day, I entered the laundry room to find this most awesome gift. It wasn't my birthday or anniversary so it took me a few moments to realize why anyone would give me something on a non-gift-giving day.

In the card were small messages of encouragement, like: "Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm reading your novel, but I'm only half-through!" -- Dr. Rayn, "May all your dreams come true, Angie." -- Sharon, "You really are an inspiration." -- Sammy, "I'm so proud of you for publishing Dream Smashers." -- Katie, "Congratulations!" -- Alicia, "You're such an inspiration achieving such a dream." -- Brittany, "Hope you sell plenty." Dan and Abby.

The most perfect gift a writer could ever want. A cork board to use as a story board and a basket full of stationary, inspirational plaque, tea, hilighters, pens, candles, tea cups, and important writerly things. Plus, a beautiful charcoal drawing by Katie and a lovely plant whose life may be very short. Tell me I don't work with the best people ever and I'll call you a liar. I thank them for the encouragement!

Onto the cover reveal.

The Land of Corn Chips cover will be revealed on Friday, April 29, 2011. Six gracious bloggers have agreed to participate in the reveal.

INTO THE MORNING READS

THE READING PIXIE

TIGERS ALL CONSUMING BOOKS

THE CAFFEINATED DIVA READS

LISA THE NERD

ONCE UPON A TWILIGHT

Go to any or all of these sites on Friday to see the rad cover for Land of Corn Chips. I'm so excited for you to see it!

Peace out for now.

Greatness of Stories and Land of Corn Chips Cover

We watched "Water For Elephants" today. It was my full intention to read the novel prior to seeing the movie, but time slipped away, as it often does, and the movie appeared on the marquee before I knew it. I was angry throughout most of it and on the verge of leaping out of my seat to attack the main antagonist. This got me thinking. What makes a story great? What is it about a great story that forces so many to believe in its greatness?

I think we can all agree that a great story is one that stays with the audience long after the book is closed or the credits are rolling or the teller says, "The end." It haunts thoughts. It lingers in dreams. It wrenches hearts. Sometimes, though, great stories have a way of uplifting the spirit and in other times the audience is left thinking and questioning certain issues or situations.

Years ago, when I worked as a glass artisan for our family business, I pondered the subject of what made our art better than other art. The best definition of art that I found at the time and still remains with me is something along the lines of this: Art evokes emotion. Therefore, art is a very personal experience. What may evoke emotion in me, may not do it for you and vice versa. So, what is that common thread that makes art considered great by many?

It's harder to pinpoint with fine arts, but in literature, I've come to the conclusion that great stories always portray a common truth. A truth that rings familiar with many is read by many. This may be a no-brainer to some, but when the truth is expertly illustrated through words to where the audience isn't actively aware of it, that, in my opinion, becomes the grace of a great story.

This brought me to the next question I'm not sure I can answer to appease my esteem. Will my art ever be considered great by many if art at all? If I concede my conclusion above, the answer is maybe someday. Since my truths are not common, my stories may be great to some, but not many. For now, I'm happy to know that my stories are considered art by a handful of people. That they've touched the heart of a few is such an awesome feeling. What is accepted as truth may change in the future, and then my stories just may be considered great by many. How cool is that?

On Friday, April 29th, the cover for Land of Corn Chips will be revealed. I'll announce the bloggers who have graciously agreed to reveal the cover on Wednesday, April 27th. For now, here's a brief synopsis for Land of Corn Chips:

Eleven-year-old Nate Hansen never believed in dragons before an eccentric man with a purple-feather hat kidnaps him. Spirited to the Land of Corn Chips on the back of a mechanical yellow dragon, Nate must find a way to avoid being ground into compost. His only hope of escape is to earn the friendship of the local wrestling gang and zombie kids, and to believe in a parent he no longer trusts.

Peace out for now. 

Book Inscriptions

My fellow DarkSide authors recently participated in their first book signing. This got me thinking. I've only signed a handful of my books thus far. Mainly for book giveaway winners. In those books, I inscribed a variation of the same message based on the theme of the book. I don't like the inscriptions I came up with.

The first few books have something like this: "Don't give up on hope" or "Don't lose hope." After some contemplation, I found these negative so I switched it for a more positive message: "Hold on to hope."

I'm still not sure if I like the latter message either. One, it's mushy. It makes me feel like a preacher or someone who has a positive outlook on everything. Well, I'm definitely not a preacher and I have a super negative attitude much of the time. I try to stay positive, but things usually start out negative before my effort kicks in. Two, it's kind of silly because of course everyone holds onto hope. It's natural for all living creatures to have some sort of hope. Yes, I know I said "all living creatures." That's a debate for another blog post. My point is, the advice or "message" shouldn't be so generalized.

"Hold on to hope" is like writing "Eat food." It's not saying "Eat your vegetables" or "Don't forget desert," which is what I think an inscription should say.

Wait a  minute... How perfect is that? Man, I knew you all would help me with this issue. I'm totally going with "Eat your vegetables" from now on. Autumn hates vegetables. Perfect.

Thanks, friends!

Peace out.

Sale!

In the interest of getting Dream Smashers into as many hands as possible, I've decided to reduce the eBook price to 99 cents.

Hurry, go buy it, read it, and then discuss it with your loved ones.

Amazon 
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords

Peace out.

Earth Day Tribute Sorta

Back in October I posted about a silly skit my friend and I wrote in high school. It had much to do about our angst toward the way humans treat the earth. So, in honor of Earth Day (on April 22nd) I'm going to direct you to that link for now. Link Here It also talks about Tom Bosley.

The theme for Earth Day this year is "Billion Acts of Green." Last I looked, the billion acts were at 96,486,180. That's a lot of acts! Maybe you'd like to make a pledge to act green, too? Pledge Here

After you make your pledge, come back here and share it. What are you doing to be green?

It's Officiallly Official

Marketing. Not my forte.

I knew this going into the do-it-yourself world of publishing, but thought that maybe this time the sky would open up and beam down a magnificent light upon my epic-like novel, Dream Smashers. Maybe it will. Someday.

Zero sales in four days equals frowny face on Angela's head. Is that normal? What should I do? I can't keep saying, "Hey, lookie here. A rad novel for only $2.99." People get tired of hearing it.

I've had a few reviewers review it and it garnered some lovely reviews of four and five stars. (I just said review three times in the same sentence) Well, mostly four stars, but I'm taking into consideration that I didn't know a single one of those reviewers. Not one. I simply asked them to review it. I didn't smoosh them and say super-nice things about them. I didn't rub their shoulders or become BFF's with them, so I think the four star reviews shine brighter for me. I'm very thankful for them.

I need to write. So that's what I'm going to be concentrating on from now on. The marketing thing, or whatever people call it, will happen, too. I'm just not going to spend every minute of the day trying to do it. With time, word will get around that Angela is legit down to her spit and won't fluff your feathers for a sale. She's already worked her booty off creating a novel to entertain you. So buy it and enjoy it and give it an honest review. She'll be thankful and that's it. Maybe someday she can hire someone to do all the bullshitting for her. That would be rad!

Peace out for now.

PS -- Land of Corn Chips, a middle grade novel, will be out on June 6th. The cover art is done and it is SUPER AWESOME. I can't wait to share it with the world on April 29th. Don't ask me why you have to wait until April 29th. It's just a day that I threw out. Which is weird because I'm usually an impulsive person who plans absolutely nothing. But this, this is planned and it shall remain that way. I think. Oh, did I mention how AMAZING the cover is for Land of Corn Chips? Am I a walking contradiction or what? Okay, back to the writing.

And The Gifts Go To ______

I'm so blessed to have such wonderful people helping me pimp Dream Smashers. Thank you all SO much!

As promised, I have some neato gifts to give away. Since I didn't do an ultra-rad vlog last week, my hubs and I recorded the drawing. And, um, well, I'm sorry in advance.

That is exactly why I didn't post the vlog. I promise to never put you through that again. ;)

If you haven't purchased Dream Smashers yet, the links on the sidebar will take you directly to where you may get your copy. You can get Dream Smashers in eBook for less than a cup of coffee!

I appreciate you all for supporting my work and I know Dream Smashers will find a special place in your heart.

Here's a few blogs giving away copies, too.

I Read Banned Books

Electrifying Reviews

The Book Pixie

Be sure to take a gander at the review tab at the top of this blog to read the latest reviews, articles and guest posts for Dream Smashers.

Again, the winners are:

Erin Danzer
Valerie Maarten
Rebecca Kramer

Runners up:
Katie McAllister
Racheal Almsted

I've sent you all a message. Please respond by Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 12 pm Pacific Time to claim your gifts.

Peace out for now! :)

DREAM SMASHERS LAUNCH CELEBRATION!

It's April 4th, people! I'm not sure where all the time went, but it's gone. DREAM SMASHERS is now available for purchase at Amazon, Amazon UK,  Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

In celebration, I was going to create a vlog. Well, I did create one, but I discovered that I'm an uber-goober who says "um" every two seconds and forgets what to say every five seconds. So, instead, I'll write everything out, which will be a lot faster for you to get through.

I need your help to get Dream Smashers out to the world. Indie authors usually don't have the money for expensive advertising and book tours and book signings that big publishing houses have for their authors. Our books rely heavily, if not all, on word-of-mouth advertising. If you read an indie book you like, don't keep it a secret. Please. Let the world know.

Whether you've read Dream Smashers and loved it, or you just like me, or maybe you like the whole idea of the indie author movement, whatever your reason, please help spread the word.

Dream Smashers is very important to me. I hope that it finds a special place in your heart, too. You can buy it as an e-Book for less than your Starbucks bill for the morning. You get an entire novel worth of yummy words for less than a cup of coffee. How cool is that?


In celebration of introducing Dream Smashers to the world, I'd like to offer some gifts to show my appreciation of your help. Now, the gifts aren't like a million-dollars-cool or anything, but rather some awesome reads by DarkSide Publishing authors and small tokens that everyone will most likely enjoy. You don't have to promote Dream Smashers to win a gift, though (see below).

There are three gift packages outlined. In order to receive one of them, you must enter the drawing. Each time you promote Dream Smashers, paste the link to the promotion in the comment section below. Each link gives you one entry into the drawing to win a gift. *Please only three entries per day per person.*

Ways to promote for the drawing:

Post the Dream Smashers trailer to one or all of your social networking sites. (each site is an individual entry)

Post a link to this blog on one or all of your social networking sites. (each site is an individual entry)

Tweet on Twitter about Dream Smashers with a link to this blog using one or both of these hashtags: #BookLaunch or #BookGiveaway. Please remember to tag me in the tweet so I can see it. @angelacarlie

Post the cover image of Dream Smashers on one or more of your social networking sites. (each site is an individual entry) If you decide to use the cover image as your profile image, each day it is set as your profile image is a BONUS entry and won't count against your three entries for the day. Post the link below with the number of days it will be up as your profile image.

If you choose NOT to participate in the Dream Smashers promotion but still want to participate in the drawing, it's all good. Please do one or more of the following things:

In the comment section below, tell me what your favorite book is and why. (For two entries)

Post on one or more of your social networking sites something positive. Anything positive that will uplift others. Please post the links in the comment section.

*Please be sure I have your contact information. If it is not clear who you are in the links, you must email me your contact information. If your links go to a Facebook page with the security set so that I can't see it, you should probably friend me so that I can see your entry. If I can't see the entry, it won't count.*

_____________

Gift Packages

First Name Drawn

A DarkSide Publishing Gift Package: One signed paperback of Dream Smashers, one e-Book version of Anathema by Megg Jenson, one e-Book version of Into The Shadows by Karly Kirkpatrick, and one e-Book version of The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching.

$5 Gift Card to your choice of Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Autumn's hemp beaded bracelet

Second Name Drawn

A Mini DarkSide Publishing Gift Package: One signed paperback of Dream Smashers and 2 e-Book versions of your choice from the above listed books in the First Name Drawn package.

Autumn's hemp beaded bracelet

Third Name Drawn

A Super-Mini DarkSide Publishing Gift Package: One e-Book version of Dream Smashers and the remaining e-Book that wasn't chosen by the Second Name Drawn from the three titles listed in the First Name Drawn package.

Autumn's hemp beaded bracelet.
_______________________________

And that's it! If you choose to promote Dream Smashers, but don't want to enter the contest, please send me an email so that I can thank you. :)

The Small Stuff

Please know that these gifts are for US and Canadian residents only. If you are outside the US and Canada and would like to participate, you may do so, but only receive the e-Books and the gift card via email. I'm sorry, but international shipping costs too much for me now to ship the paperback and bracelet. 


This giveaway will run from Monday, April 4, 2011 until Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Winners will be announced on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 6 PM Pacific Time on this blog. 


I will try to contact you via email or whatever contact information you have provided through your links. If you haven't provided any contact information, two back-up entries will have been drawn and your gift will go to the first back-up.

Also. You have until midnight tonight (Monday, April 4) to enter G.P. Ching's giveaway. Go do it now! :)

Woo Hoo! Now go celebrate! 

Peace out for now.