Tag: SFF

Oooooh.

Okay. It’s time for something juicy. A little exciting. A bit…revealing.

We'll be back after these messages.

I’d like to brag a bit about my graphic designer. Her name is Sondra Fowler and you can find and follow her on Facebook at DotandSondra and DigitalDoodles.

Sondra redSondra Bunny

Sondra has a BFA in Graphic Design and is as comfortable working in ink as she is in pixels. She moved to 98.5% start-to-finish digital work from scanned in ink six years ago when she moved to a Wacom Cintiq. She’s done everything from CD cover and label design and book covers to logo work and T-shirt design. She is currently working in 2D animation for a personal project and she is always open to new clients and new design/art experiences.

And, she’s amazing.

Sondra and I collaborated over several weeks – she even helped me get more comfortable in the 21st century by introducing me to Google Drive and video chats – to get just the right feel. She tweaked it when I asked her to tweak it, and she created several iterations until the cover felt just right. She even created a Facebook banner for me.

If you’re looking for someone to help your book look amazing, or for any other graphic design work, I highly recommend Sondra.

Have I kept you waiting long enough?

Really?

Okay…here it is. My cover, by Sondra Fowler.

Final Cover 4-2-18 watermark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty snazzy, right?

Comment here or on Facebook to let me know what you think!

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103,810.

That was the original word count when I “finished” writing my first novel back in December.

wordsThat’s a lot of words. I didn’t know I had that many words in me. Don’t get me wrong, I know I talk a lot. But…to get that many words out in sentences that form paragraphs that make sense in a story?

Wow.

But, turns out, that was actually too many words.

Shocking, I know.

So, I hired an editor. She helped me reduce the amount of verbiage I would utilize in order to carry my point across to the people who so generously decided they would do me the favor of casting their eyes upon my work.

Er. I mean, she helped me make my writing better.

So, now, nearly eight months later, it’s down to 93,155 words, according to Word.

That’s still a lot of words. But, I’m so happy for those that made the cut.

There is one more obstacle left…The Proofreader. She’s up this week.

Stay tuned to see if she makes any more cuts.

Cue maniacal laughter.

Fade to black.

 

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Eye-Catching?

So, I got these headshots done last week. Whattaya think?

Would you buy a vampire book from this lady?

KMS Business Landscape HS 3 18

What about from this lady?

KMS Creative Landscape HS 3 18

Feel free to sound off in the comments (maybe I shouldn’t say that…but hey, what’s the worst that could happen? /slowblink/ )

 

 

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Popcorn and Vampires.

So, what do I write about when I don’t have much to report? Do I put up a filler post? Something totally not related to writing, or publishing or vampires?

Obviously, my first thought was, “Yes!” So, I put the word popcorn at the top and started blathering on about not much. But, then I thought it would be fun to give you all a lesser known fact about popcorn. Like, isn’t this a cute idea, and aren’t I super clever?

popcorn picKeeping readers entertained and educated for weeks now, me.

I went to popcorn.org. That’s a real site, with some interesting information. Like, popcorn kernels can pop up to three feet in the air. I didn’t know that, did you?

Anyway, I decided that I wanted something with a little more bite, so I Googled, “popcorn and vampires” just to see what would happen. That’s when I discovered this kernel of info.

Have you heard of pellagra? I never had, until today, but apparently, it is a disease which appears to share many symptoms with vampires of legend: hypersensitivity to sunlight, aggression, pale skin with engorged, red lips, and refusal to eat food.

Pellagra is caused primarily by a dietary niacin deficiency. Cultures that regularly ate corn (as they did in the Americas back in the day), discovered that those who ate corn that had been processed with lime juice or that ate corn tortillas with beans didn’t waste away and eventually die (i.e. no vampires in the Americas). But, when corn made its way to Europe and began feeding the peasants, they didn’t know this. So, over time, people would develop pellagra and waste away. Thus the vampire legend was formed and flourished.

Nosferatu picNowadays, we turn to science to understand these symptoms and help people correct their diets and avoid vampirism, I mean pellagra.

Now you know how vampires and popcorn are connected. And also, now I feel totally justified in drinking margaritas anytime I have tortillas. It’s for my health!

 

Sources:

Corny Facts

The relationship of pellagra to corn and the low availability of niacin in cereals.

Of Vampires and Corn

How Eating Corn Can Turn You Into A Vampire

The Legend of Vampires – Pellagra, Corn and Niacin Deficiency

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A Sign.

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure:

I couldn’t believe my luck. I opened facebook, as you do, and happened upon a post in a neighborhood page. It didn’t have anything to do with anything I was interested in, but for some reason, I clicked on it, then kept scrolling through that page.

Three posts down, my heart skipped a beat. My palms got a little sweaty. I felt warm all over. The post read something like, “FREE – 10 Anne Rice books.” There was a picture.

AR Books
I took this picture once I got them home and had a chance to take a good look at them.

There they were. In all their hardbound glory. My eyes searched the post. How long ago had it been posted? Had anyone liked it yet? Were there any comments? Did it really say FREE? I checked over and over; all of this took only a few seconds, but it felt longer.

I replied, as quickly as my fingers could fly across the keyboard, “Are these still available? If so, I would like them, please.”

<Keep your cool, Kristy. Don’t freak out. Breathe.>

I distracted myself by scrolling through my newsfeed, pretending to be completely disinterested in the result of my reply.

Totally. Not. Interested.

Ten minutes later, I heard the little “bleep-boop” indicating I had a message waiting for me in messenger. It’s cool. No big deal. They’re probably already gone anyway.

“I’ll leave them in a box on my porch, what time would like to come get them?”

<OMG> <pause> <pause> <pause>

“Um, I’ll be by later this afternoon.”

<That was totally chill, well done.>

*

A dozen books. By one of the greats. By someone whose writing started it all for me.

Anne Rice. The Vampire Chronicles. Those books are my inspiration. They fed my soul when I was younger, and I can’t wait to dive back into them now.

This must be some sort of sign. Right?

 

PS. Thanks, Anne.

 

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