Tag Archives: authors

Pick of the Twitter: February, 2015

by

Pick of the Twitter 005

Looking for writing/marketing tips? Here are my Top Twitter picks for February, 2015:

  1.  Literary lingo to know by Kristen Kieffer @Shesnovel via @elizabethscraig

  2.  Novel Writing Tips: How to Keep your Novel on Track  by Lisa Wingate via @WomenWriters

  3. 10 Brilliant Tips for Writing Fiction Inspired by Famous Authors  by @WriterJoMalby via @SarahBrentyn

  4.  24 Things No One Tells You About Book Publishing  by Curtis Sittenfeld via @Buzzfeed via @HughOSmith

  5. Twitter has Analytics? They sure do and here are five key ways of using them by Larry Kim via @Mobilized_Social

  6.  Should You Self-Publish? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself  by Claire Cook @ClaireCookwrite via @elizabethscraig

  7.  Nonfiction Authors: How to Find Your Ideal Reader  by @CathyYardley via @JFbookman, @WritetoSell,  @thecreativepenn

  8.  Attending a Writers’ Conference Soon? Here’s how to prepare by @ChuckSambuchino via @thewritelife @WritersDigest

  9.  How to Overcome Writer’s Block: 14 Tricks That Work by @JeffGoins via @writerstevens, @RMFWriters

  10.  How to SUCCESSFULLY Announce Events on Your Social Media Sites @111publishing

  11.  10 Ways to Leverage Google Alerts for Your Business http://ow.ly/FhU1r   by Stephanie Chandler via @bizauthor

 

Many thanks to Tweeters and Bloggers alike!

Please subscribe to my blog by including your email in the space provided on the upper right.

 

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

 

Some Favorite Lines for Valentines

by

by @AnnieDaylon

Be My Valentine
My Valentine and I have been married for eons. During that time, all of our vows– to laugh with you in joy, to grieve with you in sorrow, to share with you in love, through sickness and in health– have come into play. A roller coaster, at times, as are all relationships, but we are still standing, strong.

Here are some of my favorite lines for Valentines:

    • A heart well worth winning, and well won. A heart that, once won, goes through fire and water for the winner, and never changes, and is never daunted. ~ Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend

    • You are my heart, my life, my one and only thought. ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The White Company

    • He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking. ~ Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

    • To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life. ~Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

    • A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness. ~ John Keats, A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

    • He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest. ~ W.H. Auden, Stop All the Clocks

    • I have waited for this opportunity for more than half a century, to repeat to you once again my vow of eternal fidelity and everlasting love. ~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

    • Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be. ~ Robert Browning, Rabbi Ben Ezra

    • Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~ Lao Tzu

    • The problems of your past are your business; the problems of your future are my privilege. ~ John Watson to Mary Watson in Sherlock

       

Happy Valentine's Day Balloon Two

My best to you,
Annie Signature Light Blue

 

 

Please subscribe to my blog by placing your email address in the space provided on the right. 

 

 

Pick of the Twitter: January 2015

by

Pick of the Twitter 005

Looking for writing/marketing tips? Here are my Top Twitter picks for January, 2015:

  1.  TWITTER TIPS for AUTHORS  @IndieAuthorNews

  2.  Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2015  @WritetoDone

  3. What Are The Best Times to Post on Social Media  @Mariner_Consult

  4. How are You Using LinkedIn as a Writer?  @ebooksintl  via @111publishing

  5.  Book marketing tips, quotes and more on our Pinterest board @bkmkting

  6.  Top Tips for writing Historical Fiction  by @DinahJefferies via @WomenWriters

  7. Tips on how to take care of the inner and outer writer @CSLakin

  8.  17 Tips How to Successful Run Book Giveaways  @111publishing

  9.  101 Fabulous Plot Resources For Novelists  @MollyGreene

  10.  The Ultimate List of Social Media Acronyms and Abbreviations @buffer

 

Many thanks to Tweeters and Bloggers alike!

Please subscribe to my blog by including your email in the space provided on the upper right.

My best to you,
Annie Signature Light Blue

B.R.A.G. Medallion: A Boost for Indies

by

by @AnnieDaylon

registered- 800The Book Readers Appreciation Group Medallion  for excellence in indie publications includes not only a shiny gold sticker, but also a host of other treasures:  reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, mentions on Twitter, and images on Pinterest.  B.R.A.G. also posts news provided by authors about their readings and publications. If  honorees send B.R.A.G. a print copy of their book, B.R.A.G. will display that book at many book expositions.  In addition, B.R.A.G. affords its recipients the  opportunity to do an online interview about their winning work and their writing process.  I jumped at the opportunity of doing an interview about my B.R.A.G. honoree novel, Castles in the Sand, and had the pleasure of working with Stephanie Hopkins of Layered Pages.

A sample for you, of my interview…

Stephanie:  Hello Annie! Congrats on the B.R.A.G. Medallion for your book, Castles in the Sand. How did you discover indieBRAG and what has been your experience with self-publishing thus far?

  • I discovered indieBRAG on Twitter. Another author tweeted that her book was a BRAG Medallion recipient; I was curious so I followed the link to indieBRAG.
  • A steep learning curve, that of self-publishing. At times I felt as though I were scaling a vertical wall. I had to learn (am still learning) not only the business of writing, but also the use of technology. (Three years ago, I didn’t have a website, didn’t know an analytic from a hashtag, etc.) I sacrificed writing time to acquire skills in both these areas; unfortunately, that was necessary. But now, writing comes first and I squeeze marketing and tech into whatever time is left.

See more here: Interview with B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Annie Daylon 

Back to Work! Armoire/Office is open today! :-)

On Layeredpages.com, my armoire/office was Closed. Here’s the Open version. (No vacation today!)

 

 

A Note to Indie Writers…
For a nominal fee,  B.R.A.G. Medallion will consider your self-published novel on basis of Plot, Characters, Writing Style, Dialogue, Copyediting, Cover/Interior Layout.
Visit B.R.A.G. for a potential boost!


Please subscribe to my blog by placing your email in the space provided on the right. Thank you!

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

 

 

 

My Favorite Reads of 2014

by

 by @AnnieDaylon

shutterstock_227649499I originally come from the island of Newfoundland but right now I’m coming to you from the island of my sofa. I have the flu and, due to my husband’s medical history and resulting weakened immune system (detailed in Olympic Hope), I have placed myself here, in solitary confinement,  with only tea, books, and tablet as companions. A good place from which to comment on my favorite reads of 2014.

Here are the books that I found inspiring, compelling, challenging, or truly entertaining this past year:


The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Set in Nazi Germany with Death as narrator. A young girl, through the theft of books and with the aid of her foster father, develops a passion for reading which sustains her through the reign of Hitler. This novel is classified as YA but its power and eloquence defy such limitation. Searing. Grim. Indelible.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
This memoir contains a collection of previously published articles (NY Times, Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s) about love, friendship, work, art. Clean, clear language. Honest. From the soul. Inspirational.

Larry’s Party by Carol Shields
Set from 1977-1997. A fumbling man discovers his love of mazes and finds his way to self through his labyrinth of a life. Quiet. Arresting. Realistic.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by MaryAnn Shaffer & Annie Barrows
This epistolary novel is set on the Channel Islands during WWII. A tribute to book lovers, it details the journey of a cast of courageous book club members whose island is occupied by the Nazi regime. Nostalgic. Enchanting. Inspiring.

419 by Will Ferguson (2012 Giller Prize Winner)
A literary thriller set in Canada and Nigeria, this is a woman’s crusade to find the man she deems responsible for the downfall and death of her father. (The term 419 is a code for Nigerian email scams.) Taut. Intriguing. Educational.

After This by Alice McDermott
An apt portrayal of the reality of life in an Irish Catholic American family. Lyrical. Engaging. Poignant.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Set in France during WWII, this novel has two surprising protagonists, one a blind girl, one a Nazi soldier. The beauty in this lies in the author’s ability to create sympathy for the young soldier and to help the reader see through use of sound. (A must read for any writer seeking to improve sense of sound in writing.) Ambitious. Authentic. Riveting.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
 Atkinson’s first novel, this exquisitely-written piece details , from conception onward, the life of Ruby who takes us into the world of her quirky British family.  Complex. Funny. Heartbreaking.

My favorite book of the year? I must cite two from the above list: 419 for the education I received (until I read this, I would have assumed 419 to be an area code, no more) and The Book Thief for its innovation, power, and simplicity. (In case you noticed… yes, I am currently reading a lot of WWII fiction: my work-in-progress, Book II of a trilogy, is set during that era.)

shutterstock_165829418And now… I’m looking for some good reads while I remain quarantined on the couch, Kindle at the ready.  Any suggestions?

Please subscribe to my author newsletter by placing your email address in the space provided on the right.

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Pick of the Twitter: December, 2014

by

 

Pick of the Twitter 005
Looking for writing/marketing/reading tips? Here are my Top Twitter picks for December, 2014:

  1. Marketing your book on Goodreads via @BookTemplates @CiaraBallintine

  2. 13 Podcasts That Love Books as Much as You Do via @VanWritersFest

  3.  Your 2015 Blogging Roadmap. @WritersDigest

  4.  We remember the great authors we said good-bye to in 2014 @CBCBooks

  5.  What Do Agents Like to See When They Google Writers? @carlywatters via @elizabethscraig

  6.  5 Steps to Clutter-Free Writing @WriteToSell

  7. Our Most Popular Posts on Writing  @thewritelife

  8. The 25 Best Websites for Literature Lovers via @ZeBookman

  9.  How To Approach a Bookstore: Tips for Authors   @HollyBrady via @WriterUnboxed

  10.  Overcome Procrastination: Steven Pressfield’s Top 12 Tips  via @EricStoffle

 

Many thanks to Tweeters and Bloggers alike!shutterstock_169020800

Please subscribe to my blog by including your email in the space provided on the upper right.

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Want to Write More in the New Year? Just Show Up.

by

 

by @Annie Daylon

PIANIST by author/artist, Ben Nuttall-Smith.

PIANIST by author/artist, Ben Nuttall-Smith.


My 2015 calendar from the Federation of British Columbia Writers arrived the other day and, from all of Ben Nuttall-Smith’s stunning illustrations, one jumped  at me– Pianist. It triggered memories of my beginnings at a keyboard: the Leila-Fletcher-on-staff-Middle-C-approach to the piano, taught  by Sister Mary John Hughes and her trusty pointer. Ouch!

Over the years, I worked my way from Fletcher’s C-D-E to Debussy’s Reverie. I never mastered the art of sight-reading (the ability to pick up a piece and play it as you would pick up a book and read it.) Once, when I was a student of music at Mount Allison University, a friend suggested we partner up and plunge into the world of sight-reading, an attempt to conquer the beast. I started, half-heartedly, and fell away from it: for me there was a gaping hole where passion, drive, and above all, confidence should be.  My friend persevered and became a long-time professional musician. (Thank you, T: I never did excel in sight-reading but I did learn from watching you gain mastery.) My piano, except for the annual Christmas carol, is now a silent shadow in the hallway of my home.

However, another keyboard has replaced it.

My passion is writing. I dipped my toe in the water seven years ago and I stayed. In that time, I have written three novels, each better than its predecessor, and I have a fourth awaiting editing. I have also penned forty+ short stories, sixty-five blog posts, and a few articles. Apparently, what I could not apply to music–commitment and perseverance– I can apply to writing.  Doubt may knock once in a while but I don’t let it in. I just show up and write, daily. My routine: coffee, crossword, computer. Three hour minimum.

In the coming year, whatever your passion,  just have at it. If writing is your passion,  park yourself at that keyboard and plunk away. One letter, one word, one sentence, one paragraph, one page… eventually becomes one book.

shutterstock_110397353 (2) Happy New YearJust show up and you will create a wonderfully accomplished, well-written new year. One key at a time.

 

Please subscribe to my Author Newsletter by placing your email address in the space provided on the right. Many thanks.

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Pick of the Twitter: November, 2014

by

Pick of the Twitter 005

Looking for writing/marketing tips? Here are my Top Twitter picks for November, 2014:

  1. How To Build A Top-Notch Media Kit by @MMJaye via @mollygreene @BelindaCrawford

  2. The Art of a Distraction Free Life by Courtney Carver @bemorewithless via @elizabethscraig 

  3. 17 Tips: How to Successfully Run Book Giveaways   @111publishing

  4. Rejections Are Part of the Journey by Patricia Sands via @Jess_Alter

  5. What Is #MondayBlogs and Why Should Bloggers Participate? by Rachel Thompson @BadRedheadMedia

  6. Considering Doing a Blog Tour?  by @stephaniebond  via @bkmkting

  7. 5 Rules of Writing From Pixar  via @magic_violinist via @write_practice

  8. Guest Post Strategy: Should You Pitch the Editor Before You Write? @SteveGillman @thewritelife

  9. 10 Blog Post Must-Do’s for Writers | The Book Sales Accelerator @IstanbulPuzzle

  10.  Your Elusive Creative Genius  A TED Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert

 

Many thanks to Tweeters and Bloggers alike!

Please subscribe to my blog by including your email in the space provided on the upper right.

 

My best to you,
Annie Signature Light Blue

My NaNoWriMo Experience

by

by @AnnieDaylon

CASTLES-IN-THE-SAND (2) brag medallion

This week, I am guest blogging on the B.R.A.G. Medallion website. Here’s a snippet:

It’s November and, once again, information about NaNoWriMo is flooding social media. Many writers participate in this annual National Novel Writing Month. Maybe some sit by the wayside, wondering: Is it worth the effort?

I have participated in NaNoWriMo twice. In 2010, I wrote a complete first draft of my novel Castles in the Sand. In 2012, I wrote a complete first draft of my work-in-progress, Of Sea and Seed.

See more here>>>   My NaNoWriMo Experience

 

registered- 800

(Thanks, @indiebrag, for invitation to blog!)

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue

Conference Riches, Blue Pencils, and Pitches

by

by @AnnieDaylon

SIWC 2104 camera 004For the past three years, I have attended the Surrey International Writers Conference as a volunteer. (SIWC: My Volunteer Experience)

This year, because I wished to include Blue Pencil and Pitch sessions, I paid the price of admission (Saturday only.)

My day was rich with many events: riveting keynote speech by Cory Doctorow, an agent/editor insight panel, SiWC Idol panel, Rookie Mistakes workshop, and a Creating Kick-Ass Characters workshop. In addition, I became reacquainted with conference buddies, and met up with author friends.

I’ve been writing for several years now and feel very comfortable  walking into Blue Pencil and Pitch sessions; in fact, on Saturday, I did so without a twinge of anxiety. (It helped that a wonderful post jumped into my Twitter feed on Friday:  How to Rock a Writers Conference. It was a reminder: have a goal, but have fun, too.)

Prescheduled on my agenda were two appointments: one Blue Pencil, one Pitch. Once at the conference, I lined up to sign up for a second session in each (first-come, first-served basis.)

My two Blue Pencil sessions were back-to-back, one at 11:15, the second at 11:30. For my prescheduled session, I chose a writer who was familiar with the Celtic world: I wanted to see if my second chapter, which references the Great Famine, rang true. She was lavish in her support of what I was doing and offered suggestions, such as the addition of a third element, to enhance it.
I lucked out in the line-up-to-sign-up for my second Blue Pencil. My appointment was with a writing professor/accomplished author. I deliberately showed her a different chapter, the opening. Once again, I received great feedback and suggestions ( i.e. use more internal reaction of narrator.) 

After I finished my Blue Pencils, I lined up for a second Pitch session. Not one of the agents I wanted to see was available, but there was one free “now.” I  jumped at the opportunity and switched to ‘pitch’ mode.  After initial introductions, the conversation, paraphrased, was:
Me: “They just offered me this slot and I jumped, without knowing what your area of expertise is.”
Him: “I am looking for stories to turn into screen plays.”
Me: “So you’re looking for another Gone Girl?”
Him (eyes bright): “Do you have that?”
Me: “Nope. Do you mind if I just practice my pitch with you?”
Him: “No problem.”

So I pitched my historical fiction trilogy. He offered advice that would improve my pitch. I listened. During lunch, I received and overheard tips about presenting a pitch. Here’s the rundown:

  • Memorize, don’t read, your pitch.

  • Focus on story.

  • Insert history afterwards  (if, like me, you’re writing historical fiction).

  • Be prepared to say who the comparable writers are (I floundered a bit on this one. Know better now.)

  • Know your word count.

  • Be prepared to answer the question “why are you writing this?”

I incorporated all of the above at my 1:40 session.

shutterstock_107880212 manuscript 2

Overall advice? Go with a goal. Be prepared. Be open to everything. Enjoy the opportunity to have professionals offer advice. Be determined to have fun.

My thanks to  all at SiWC, including those amazing volunteers, who made my experience so enjoyable. I left feeling inspired!

Please subscribe to my Author Newsletter by placing your first name and email address in the space provided on the right. Many thanks!

My best to you,

Annie Signature Light Blue