#TeaserTuesday

  Lana believes she's doing the right thing, for the good of the country, the good of the world, and yet, she wishes Lock could see that...

 Coming May 12th 2020

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[ID: A graphic with a smoky grey background and the header of: Lights On, with a small header underneath that reads: Coming May 2020. The excerpt reads:

Of course, given what Maggie had just said, there would be no avoiding it. Lana would have to live with herself, but really, hadn't she just been following orders? How had she been in the wrong? She'd tried to save Lock, Lock had shunned her. No, Lana did everything she could. Lock would have to face the consequences for her actions.
If only, Lana thought as she walked along the empty corridor. If only I could feel less like I was signing her death warrant myself.
 

At the bottom is Joey Paul, her website of www.joeypaulonline.com and the logo of a green and purple bug in the far right corner.

END ID]

The Trials Of A Crime Writer: So What If It's Been Done Before?

THE TRIALS OF A CRIME WRITER: SO WHAT IF IT'S BEEN DONE BEFORE?

This is something that I've heard so much around the writing community, and while I'm sure it's talked about applying to all genres, I wanted to do a piece about the crime and mystery genre in particular. There's a method to my madness, but it's simply that a lot of the time, crime is crime. You can think up motives and twists and turns, but people aren't going to be too convoluted and after a few goes, you'll realise that crime, motives and the twists have all be done before as well, and that seems to stump new authors, or even make them think that they shouldn't be writing their story, and I'm here to tell you why that's just not true!

It is true that pretty much everything, when it comes to the bare bones of the plot, have been done before. The unique part of the story is the spin that you put on it. It's the way you tell it personally. That on its own is enough to make your story stand out. Think about it, when people tell stories to each other about their day, they all have their own spin to put on it. You can't talk to two people and get the exact same wording, emphasis and all the rest, well you can, but usually that's because they're rehearsed their stories and made it sound almost script like, and that's a huge red flag, but this isn't the time or place for that!

So I thought that I would give you a few points on why it doesn't matter if your bare bones plot has been done before, and how to switch things around if you're worried that it's too similar to something.

#1. THE BARE BONES ISN'T THE STORY
At the end of the day, we all write stories differently. Personally I've looked at the bare bones of some of my mysteries and realised that they match a lot of big name author books. The reason I've not just given up and thrown the idea away is because I know I have a completely different writing voice to these authors. Once the book was out and written, it was only really then that you could see the stories only matched at the bare bones, the rest of it was entirely unique and if I was traditionally publishing and querying that story, I wouldn't be using the other titles as comps, because they were too different.

#2. TROPES AREN'T ALWAYS BAD
A lot of the time, people think that because the bare bones, and certain tropes match up to other stories, that they should be avoided altogether, and that's simply not true. Yes, certain readers will dislike certain tropes. The same can be said for any genre, not just crime. The thing you want to avoid are overused clichés, or tropes that people are getting sick of. Like for me, I'm sick of the serial killer trope. I feel like it's overused and there are way better ways to add suspense and tell your story than making everything about a serial killer. But that's just me, it doesn't mean that applies to all readers.

So when writing, when planning and outlining if you do that, remember that not all tropes are bad, and sometimes having them in your story will attract readers who live for those tropes. Clichés are something that you should really avoid, but only because it feels dated and lazy to use them. Too many times the two get lumped together as bad and it's just not true.

#3. TWISTS ARE FUN TO PLAY WITH
This plays into the second point a little in that twists can be seen as tropes. The whole idea of the red herring and the twist people see coming, can be discouraging to writers, but at the same time, just because your book has a twist that another book has, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't write it. If you're really worried about it, try and find a way to turn the twist on its head and give a new perspective to it all. It's something that you can work out while writing, or outlining. There's a lot of fun to be had playing with twists in your story.

And finally, #4. PEOPLE LOVE THE SAME STORIES TOLD DIFFERENTLY
Basically I wanted to end on a good note. A lot of the time, the reason that similar books sell is because people like them. They want to read a different take on a similar plot. It's how the industry works. So even if you can't find a way to change the twist, or to use different tropes, that's not a bad thing. You're writing a compelling story and it's okay if it's similar plot wise to another story. It's your voice, the way you tell it, that will bring the readers in.

So there we have it, things to think about both in the crime genre, but also in others as well. A lot of the angst and worry about writing similar plots is down to the idea that to be a good writer, you need to write something completely unique, and you will, even if your plot is similar to another book out there. It's in the way you tell it, and the way you present the facts, the characters and all the rest. So just keep that in mind, and keep writing!

Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books

No More Ableist Books Collab [CC]

Doing a collab with other #disabled Authortubers about no more ableist books! #Authortube

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

FROM MARCH 12TH TO MARCH 29TH 2020 SUBSCRIBE AND COMMENT ON THIS VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOjw0T8Y7Rg&feature=youtu.be

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COLLAB PLAYLIST: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjvRhrcFjMWgZhgoscqb7u4XFL6vBi7qI

BLACKOUT: http://www.books2read.com/BOUT
LYNNE & HOPE: http://www.books2read.com/LANH
WALK A MILE: http://www.books2read.com/WAM
JACQUELINE WILSON: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacqueline-Wilson/e/B001H6SKOY
SICK KIDS IN LOVE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sick-Kids-Love-Hannah-Moskowitz-ebook/dp/B07SMXWXBL

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Cover Reveal: Moonbroch by C.J Rodgers

Title: Moonbroch

Series: Book Two, The Bestower's Ruin Series

Author: C.J. Rodgers

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: TBA  
Cover Credits: Amala Benny at Mayflower Studio
 

On the run, Rose escaped the clutches of The League saving Marshal and her mother; now she seeks refuge with a bloodline connection lost through time. The Sirens have committed themselves to protect the Bestower’s gifts and as Rose steps up as the protector of the amethyst, she has to face the consequences of her betrayal, grasp the strength of her magic, and warn the Sirens of the danger that is coming. An old King’s mission to bring creatures and beings of the supernatural kind into the light, now lives on in the heart of the angriest souls living in the shadows. The League will not stop until the frenzy is revived, and the gifts have been retrieved; a war is stirring. Rose and The Sirens must fight back. 

C. J. Rodgers is an emerging self-published author who has always had a passion for books even as a little girl. Since she has put that first novel out, she has found many outlets to spread her wings and dive more rooted in the writing community. Eagerly immersing herself with available knowledge around her, Rodgers has since created her blog -Books and a Mug- covering a wide array of topics for reading and writing, become an active member in the authortube community, and hopes to attend her first literary conference.

HOSTED BY:

Review of Death City by Stephanie Mylchreest

An idyllic summer vacation…

       ...an unknown, merciless killer.

A desperate fight for survival.

Harper—a college student looking for adventure in Europe—is exploring the picturesque landscape of Slovakia with her friends when things take a deadly turn. Within a blink of an eye, a carefree vacation turns to death and destruction.

People around them are dying without explanation. Death is fast, and painful, and apparently highly contagious. Ninety-five percent of people in the death zone fall prey to the killer within minutes.

To survive, Harper and her friends must get out of the death zone to the quarantine center at the Czech border.

But it’s not just the pandemic they need to outrun.

As they race for their lives, flashbacks to Harper’s traumatic childhood threaten to cripple her without warning. The route is treacherous: a devastating fire pursues them, and not all survivors are looking to get out of the city.

Armed with nothing but their will to survive, will they make it to the border before they succumb?

Amazon

My Review: 4 STARS
I picked this one up looking forward to the twists and turns and I wasn't completely disappointed. It was a fast-paced story with people dying suddenly, and a race to get out of the city alive, and with any other survivors. It was an enjoyable read, I just felt it was a little too short for the story it was telling, but saying that it's the first in a series so that's to be expected. Otherwise, I loved it, and would recommend it, will be looking for the second as soon as it comes out.

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here.

Questions From Writers - March 2020 [CC]

Answering questions from the writers in my audience today! #Authortube

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

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#TeaserTuesday

Lock can't stop thinking about the woman at the event...

BUY NOW: http://www.books2read.com/LOUT

PRE-ORDER LIGHTS ON: http://www.books2read.com/LON

[ID: A graphic with a fading lightbulb, the header reads: LIGHTS OUT, with a small header underneath reading: out now in paperback & ebook. To the right of those is a New Apple award seal. The excerpt reads:

“But if…,” I started to say.
“Yeah, if, if she wasn’t lying, if she really was thirty-five, if her chip was faulty, if her ID wasn’t a fake, all these ifs and we’re talking about your life here, Lock. She’s gone, nothing is going to bring her back and as far as we know, no error was made. If it turns out that there was, then just chalk it up to experience. Don’t make the same mistake again, but also, don’t throw your life away just in case.”

END ID]

The Final Read Through - The After Process

THE FINAL READ THROUGH

After last week's post about breaking down my day writing wise, I wanted to do something similar about the editing process. I am now at the final stages of editing, which I've talked about here, but Lights On is now with my proof reader, and I'm giving it the final read through before I start to get ready to send it out to ARC readers. It's nerve-wracking, but at the same time, a very nice feeling to have finally gotten to this point.

So what goes into the final read through? After all, having had a lot of eyes on the work already, surely I shouldn't need to read it one last time to make sure everything is good and ready to go? In some cases, you'd be right, but at the same time, I've been getting to the point lately, where I just wanna check things over again, just to be sure that there's no spelling errors or the like. I know that my editor, line and developmental, and proof reader do an excellent job, but at the end of the day, once that book hits shelves, I have to be okay with how it reads.

So with that made clear, lemme go into the five things that I look for in my final read through of a book before I send it out to ARC readers and upload the manuscript ready to be published on release day!

#1. SPELLING ERRORS
I use Google docs for editing, and most of the time it'll catch the spelling errors, but just in case, I run through a full spell check to make sure that one hasn't been missed. This is all before I sit down to actually read the novel completely, because I don't want to miss something while I'm lost in the story. Saying that, it's rare for that to happen, because I'm not just reading as a reader, and author, but with my editing glasses on.

#2. PLOT HOLES AND THREADS CLOSED
Having gone through massive edits, I'm pretty damn sure that everything is in its place. If the proof reader and line editor haven't pointed out things that don't make sense, then it's highly likely, they don't exist, but one thing I'm looking for on this read is for any plot holes. I will say that to date, I've never found any, and this read through is something that I know I do, but I don't think other authors do. It's a way to calm my nerves and also familiarise myself with the story as a whole.

#3. CHARACTER ARCS COMPLETE
I want to be sure that every character arc still read right. In the case of Lights On, I know that there were massive changes in the first stage of edits, and those have since carried through. One of the reasons I want to go through this book one last time is because I'm going to have to carry those changes over to the third book, which I plan to start revising very soon, so that's another reason for this check.

#4. SERIES ARCS COMPLETE
This is similar to the above, with the need to be sure that I'm carrying things over to the final book, I want to be clear on what happens in Lights On and when. I've already got a first draft of Lights Off, but I've not actually done extensive revision on it yet, but as I said, this is coming, and part of this final read through is making sure that I don't miss a massive series arc in the revision process of the next book.

You can't really apply this to standalones, but usually with the genre I write, I will be looking for the mystery element, the foreshadowing and such, to make sure that even though things have changed, the beats I need to hit are still there, present and clear.

And finally, #5. FORMATTING ISSUES
I do a final check to make sure there's no formatting issues, that the chapter breaks and headers are the right font and size, that the text is the right size, justified and all clean to read. It's something that helps make the process all the more real, seeing your book laid out as a book, and it's another reason to read it one last time before it goes off to ARC readers.

So while I think this is a me quirk when it comes to writing and publishing, I do find that it helps with the anxiety when it comes to release day! I'm happy to do it, and then I know for sure that everything is fine when it goes out to the ARC readers and I wait for the reviews to come back.

Do you have any last minute things you do before release? Any writerly quirks? Lemme know in the comments!

Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books

Reviwe of Wicked Academy 1: The Magic Elite by Nissa Leder

I’ve always known my family had its secrets.

When I, Wren Jacobsen, head off to college at Wicklow Academy, I assume the hardest part will be winning the bet I made with my on-and-off-again high school boyfriend not to sleep with anyone the entire semester.

But Wicklow isn’t at all what I expected. Wicked Academy, as the other students call it, is an academy that trains Sorcerers to fight the dark magic rapidly growing around the world.

Not only does magic exist, but my family is one of the elites.

Now classes like Incantations, Potions and Herbs, and Magical History fill my days, and I’ve caught the eyes of two upperclassmen. Too bad I made that stupid wager.

With the dark arts growing stronger, Wicklow has found a way to transfer someone’s magic to another, which means only the best students will get to keep their powers.

As I juggle classes and struggle to keep my pants on, I’m thrown into a group with my long-time rival Elaine Astor. If we can’t bury our years-old grudge, we might both lose our newfound powers for good. 

Amazon

My Review: 5 STARS
I picked this up because of the blurb and cover, and was very happy to dive in. It started fast and the pace only picked up as we went further into the story. It was a whirlwind of a ride and I loved everything about the story, and ended up reading it in one sitting. Wren was an amazing character and it felt like we were learning about the world along with her and everything wasn't all good. Overall, an enjoyable read and one I would recommend.

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here.

Cover Reveal: Lights On [CC]

And it's finally time to show you the cover for #LightsOn!! #Authortube

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

FROM MARCH 12TH TO MARCH 29TH 2020 SUBSCRIBE AND COMMENT ON THIS VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOjw0T8Y7Rg&feature=youtu.be

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON APRIL 9TH 2020!

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THANKS TO CIDNEE FOR HELPING WITH THE COVER REVEAL: https://www.cjrodgersauthor.com/blog

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#TeaserTuesday

  With an outdated map, and only a small idea of where they're supposed to go, the fear of being caught is real...

 Coming May 2020

Sign up for the cover reveal here.

[ID: A graphic with a smoky grey background and the header of: Lights On, with a small header underneath that reads: Coming May 2020. The excerpt reads:

As we made our way to what we hoped was Kile’s place, we wondered if it was possible people had tried to leave Raildown this way, only to be caught and dealt with by the army? Could we be making a mistake with following the same trail? Was it possible that they'd come looking here?
“I don’t think this is the best idea,” I said, pausing for a moment as I scoured the forest for any sign of a cottage.

At the bottom is Joey Paul, her website of www.joeypaulonline.com and the logo of a green and purple bug in the far right corner.

END ID]

Breaking Down My Day :Writing

BREAKING DOWN MY DAY: WRITING

Back in the day, I would do photo day in my life posts for a private blog and community. I don't do it any more simply because Facebook and the like aren't really geared to those kind posts. I thought, therefore, that it'd be nice to break down my day when it comes to writing. Depending on what I think of, I might do more of these kinda post, breaking down how I go through the day and what I manage.

I can tell you're on the edge of your seat and/or wondering why I'd want to break down my day. So for those new to me, I'm Joey Paul, I'm an indie author with almost seventeen books published, and I'm pretty much a writer full time, though health constraints have put a cap on what I can do. So with that outta the way, let's move into the break down!

05:00 - 07:00
With the way my sleep pattern has been messed up, it's a toss-up as to whether I wake with my alarm or wake up before it. The reason I start here when it's linked to my writing is because if I wake up super early, I will write my chapter then, if I don't, I move my writing time.

08:00-12:00
This time is spent talking with a friend, going through social media, posting instagram, blog, and authortube content depending on the day. It's also when I'll pull up what I wrote last and go through it with the editing eyes on. I know that editing as you go is seen as a dangerous path to walk, but it's something that I can pretty happily do without it distracting me from my work.

I'm not someone who can keep writing when I know there are huge mistakes in the document. If I know I've had to take out this chapter or change this scene, then I will go back and fix it before I start writing for the day. It means I can focus on what's ahead of me, and not worry myself silly with the idea that I have huge problems awaiting me in the editing stage.

13:00-15:00
It usually takes me anywhere from an hour to three to finish a chapter, depending on the day of the week, what else I'm doing, and how easily the words are flowing onto the page. This used to be my peak writing time, but with the change in sleep schedule, I find I do better in the morning and then use this time to catch up on reading or doing other admin duties that I couldn't do before.

16:00 onwards
At this point, my writing day is usually over. I get achy and want to set up in bed with a good book, and if any writing does still need to be done, then I'll take it up there with me and set up on my tablet to finish off the chapter or whatnot. Overall, my day is usually done at this point.

So there we go, my writing day! I recently, at the start of the year, cut back to 20 chapters a month because of health issues. I wanted to be able to have more days off, and get more time to relax. I got that by cutting back and while I wonder from time to time about increasing it, since I've shown I can now do more than two chapters a day if need be, I know that I was very close to burn out and I don't want to put myself through that.

How does your writing day go? What does it look like? Lemme know in the comments below!

Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books