Ready to go

After months of starting and stopping on editing The Vial of Darkness I have finally sent the formatted version to some printers.

 

I never looked around the first time, using a printer that was recommended to me and now I truly regret that as it seems they are or were one of the most expensive and gave little help in the area of formatting or telling you what to do or the errors of your setting out.

 

Now I have a better idea, 2nd time you do learn, if not then you aren't in the right field!  So I have painstakingly gone through the book, ensuring that blank pages are at the front, the Chapters start at the same point and the text looks good.  Honest, when I first printed The DreamWeaver's Choice I thought printers did all this, so naive am I!

 

So I have found a one that is coming in less than the last, the book won't make that much per copy but it is something.  I would have been better just writing a cheque to MKMRF for £2,500 instead of having the book printed but then there is always the hope that some publisher will read it and go wow this could make a good book with the right promotion and the charity could make a lot of money.  Plus the book could still be on sale long after I have died and the money still paying into the charity.  You just never know.

 

My good friend and fellow Mesothelioma sufferer Mavis Nye, also writer of a few good books herself, has again had a go at me to write my own journey through this cancer. 

 

Find Mavis Nye's book here Meso Warrior
 

I wonder if people with Meso would really want to read about it and how do you start.  It isn't easy going back 9 + years, although I remember many events as if they happened yesterday.  The thing is fiction is much easier as you aren't having to face your own demise.

So the news is that hopefully the new book will be published just in time for Christmas and I hope that those who bought the first novel will actually buy the second.  My hubby, who hates fiction by the way, thinks this book is 300 times better than the first, the story grips you and you can't put it down.  I have sent it out to 4 other readers, none that I personally know, and each has come back raving about it.  One complained was one got no work done because she had to finish it once she got into chapter ten.  Oh dear, I hope she served her clients in the shop!  Another in California can't wait for a book three!

I am only ordering 100 copies, I know that I have sales for the majority of these so if you are wanting the next copy please as soon as I have it up for sale please go for it.  I have no idea of the breakdown after the first 100 copies are printed and would not like to charge more than I need to as I want to ensure money does go to both MKMRF and Mesothelioma UK this time.

Thanks for your support.

Met Lauren

Today the young girl who drew the back cover came to meet me.  Last time I saw her she was 5 years old and had called in to work to see her Dad.

 

Today she is a smart young lady, completing her graphic design degree.  She has several ideas for the back cover so I am just leaving her too it.

 

It was nice when she told me how she had enjoyed The DreamWeaver's Choice but she prefers The Vial of Darkness.  Maybe I can find a market with younger readers than with the older ones I had aimed for, bearing in mind I wrote it to raise funds for MKMRF.

 

She finds it amazing that some one can write a book, I think it is amazing people can draw so well and have the imagination to picture what they want to see.  I guess we complimented each other several times this morning.

 

Oh well, having being off colour I have finally finished reading and marking the last edit, just need to finish changes on the manuscript then send it to Amazon Kindle to sell.

 

If anyone who purchased the book would like a paperback please let me know, I won't be printing 500 copies off this time, just enough to sell to those who would like to read the next one.

 

If anyone is looking for a smart graphic designer in a year's time I would certainly hope you thought of Lauren.

Waiting for Designs

I am pleased to say that I am nearly at the end of rereading the final draft of "The Vial of Darkness", the cover for the front is with Liz and Laura has nearly completed the back cover.

 

I have enjoyed reading the story again and have found different things in it this time round.  Strange when you write something you don't fully read the story as such.  In fact I keep amazing myself that I actually wrote this.

 

Yes you can tell I am a novice at writing but I don't have the education behind me in writing skills for pleasure.  My letter writing has always been business, throughout commerce they never teach you how to write a book do they.

 

For those who enjoyed The DreamWeaver's Choice I know you will enjoy this one even more.  You know the characters but they have evolved.  No 3, at the moment I haven't thought of a name for it, I like too.  Although I haven't reread what I have written, I know from my own thoughts it will have a rewrite for some of the chapters.  I just need to find some time and so energy to get things done.

 

Having had these few weeks of illness and spending time at home would have been a perfect opportunity to work on it but I didn't have the energy or the motivation to do either.

 

I am sorry "The Vial of Darkness" isn't finished in time, I had aimed for the end of July, but I am sure it won't be long before I put it up on Kindle and organise just a few printed copies.

 

I would be over the moon if you have read The DreamWeaver's Choice, if you would leave some comments on this blog.

A Book review left on facebook

What a lovely comment posted on facebook for me.

I sure do hope you feel good enough to finish the second book Jan, I thoroughly enjoyed The Dreamweaver's Choice, just finished it this afternoon. I am amazed at your strength to get through all the treatments, aches and pains associated with Meso and still have a clear enough mind to tell such a rich and engrossing tale.

Liz and I are still proof reading Book 2, which includes some of the strong characters from Book 1, and book 3 is already started, although this time a different hunt altogether.  Lauri will be using more of her paranormal skills to track down a killer, obviously with the help of Bear.

Third Book

I haven't finished proof reading the second book in the series of Bear Boy but I just had to write and started the third. 

I have promised myself that The Vial of Darkness will be out by end of July so I had better get the proof reading finished sooner than later.

I do wish I had an agent who would take care of these finer details but Liz has done a marvellous job so far and without her I doubt The DreamWeaver's Choice would have made it to Kindle let alone printed.

I was supposed to be in the Sunday Sun this weekend, a review on why the book was written and why it is important for people to buy it.  After all £4 isn't that expensive on Kindle or £5.99 from me, although postage is the killer.

I have sent quite a few airmail, £9.90 to the USA for one book, what happened to postage, even in the UK it was £3.00.  The world has gone crazy, no wonder more people email than write letters these days.

Please if you have read Bear Boy 1 - The DreamWeaver's Choice spread the word or at least leave me your comments.

Jan

Mixed Reviews

When I  started The DreamWeaver's Choice I sent the first 6 or 8 chapters to Liz to see what she thought, she was the one who encouraged me to carry on and waiting daily for the next chapter to arrive.  Once I had completed the whole manuscript we then proof read and I changed the corrections, added a few bits in then passed it around to a couple of my friends and she a couple of hers.  The feed back was really good but I listened to one that said I needed to explain more up front about who the characters were.

 

I  adjusted the first six chapters taking the mystery away from what the characters and allowing them to grow slowly instead  I gave full descriptions up front making Chapters 1 to 3 quite full on and all suspense dissipated

 

From the feed back I have received todate it seems I should have left things stand, but being naïve and my first ever full 140,000 word manuscript thought someone with a degree would be right.

 

Nearly everyone I know has struggled with the opening chapters but once through have found the book a good read.

 

I wish when I had changed the opening chapters I had sent it back out for readings and opinions but I can't do anything about it now.

 

So if you are reading the book and would like to make a comment please feel free to do so, feed back is what every one wants when they first start out on a new journey.  It may also help or put off some one else from reading it.

 

As per The Vial of Darkness, because you know the characters this should be an easy read, one review so far on the draft is Explosive.

 

 

 

 

Available from your bookshop

Have just realised you can order The DreamWeaver's Choice from your book shop, all you need is the title.  Any queries the ISBN No is 978-0-9576071-0-1.

I was due to take 250 books up to Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund's HQ today and catch up with Chris Knighton but due to having difficulties putting my foot on the ground, I have had to put this back.

Liz, my proof reader, has been out selling the books - everyone she meets at her gym, local store etc.  She is amazing as well as contacting one of the local news papers and has arranged an interview regarding the book and the reasons for publishing.

Onward and upwards, but I would like to say a special thanks to those out there who have not only purchased it on Kindle but have also bought the paperback too.

I must admit writing is a joy but editing and publishing does take the fun away, if I hadn't decided to do it for the charity I'm not sure I would have gone this far.