1/20/2015 0 Comments The Unfading Lands!
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Author Photos... These have to be two of the worst words ever thrown together. I'm not one to enjoy picture taking... I bet you could have guessed that by now. That is one of the reasons my author photo has not changed since 2009!!! But new book.... new look. I figured it was time to update the back of my book since I am not the same person I was in 2009. I was single then, just out of college, experimenting with this whole writing thing, and at that time, in the process of moving from Texas to Louisiana. I would then spend a year in Louisiana, and that is where my first round of author photos were taken. Now, I'm married, working full time, published several books, and live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere South Texas. Yes, I'm different now than I was then, so I figured I might as well have my photos catch up with me. I had plans to hire a make up artist and a photographer... go all out. And then one day, life happened, and I realized, I don't have time for all that. Have you ever felt that?! ;) So I called a friend of mine, and neighbor (She lives 15 miles away, but she's my neighbor) ;) and said, "Hey Erin... want to glam me up and take pictures of me?" She said sure! And as luck would have it, she is a former pageant participant back in the day, so the girl knows how to do make-up. :) Bonus! So while Erin's kids were playing upstairs, we played around downstairs. Though this is phase one of photos, because I know I will be having more done when I actually have time, I think we were able to get a few good shots that I am able to use for marketing goods and such. And having a friend help me made it more fun. She "blew out" my hair, which honestly I didn't even know what that meant until she did it. :) She did my make up. I brought clothes over, and she helped pick out my outfit. I'm telling you... I was spoiled. And then, she took the photos. I basically just showed up. ;p I'm wearing her necklace in some of the photos. I'm holding one of her favorite books, The Great Gatsby... and in some photos, I'm wearing her green scarf. She's a good friend. Did I mention that? haha. But with Erin's help, I have erased at least some stress of having a few author photos to have on hand in a pinch. And that is exactly what I needed. I also wanted to share her handy work, and also just reiterate the fact that this whole book publishing process involves a lot of different people, not just me. I could not get everything I have done accomplished without the help of some pretty awesome people. And thankfully, I have some pretty talented friends and family who are willing to help. :) So... I went online this morning to post a new blog post for you guys, and realized I had yet to write one! Oops! I blame my extra, New Years post for throwing me off. I wanted to sort of talk about where I am at in the whole publishing process with the book. It's been a couple weeks since I last updated you guys. I received my final edit from my editor, Lauren, earlier last week. Who is Lauren, and what does this mean? Lauren is a friend of mine from college who not only can critique my English grammar, but also German... that is, if I knew German. But she does. So that's kind of awesome. She also has two super, and I mean, SUPER cute little boys... that I am sure did not interrupt her AT ALL while she was editing my manuscript. ;) And: Receiving my final edit means, my work now gets even MORE fun. I now get to go through my manuscript for the umpteenth time and make changes. I actually don't mind this process, because I love reading my book. ;p But at the same time, I think I am starting to memorize... well... all of it. I guess that is a good thing. :) I started working on final edits last night and let me tell you... Lauren rocked it! She caught things and suggested changes that my crazy mind did not think of or skipped over. I even had to look up a few grammar rules, because I had completely forgotten what a 'colloquialism' was?! For those of you who do not know either... col·lo·qui·al·ism kəˈlōkwēəˌlizəm/nounnoun: colloquialism; plural noun: colloquialisms
But Lauren was busting out the big guns, throwing words like colloquialism around. ;) But that is one of the reasons I asked her to edit my manuscript. I froze last night in complete joy and even held up page 40 of my manuscript to my husband, Brad, and said, "Babe! I finally have a page with no red on it!" haha. Yes... every page before that had something written on it, and every page after it so far... I'm now on chapter 5 and have yet to find another page where I didn't make some sort of mistake. But you know what? That's okay. I'm human. And that's why there are people like Lauren to make my writing one notch better... or maybe ten notches... She also pointed out my love for ellipses... (these ...) I love those three little dots. She noticed. I'm sure everyone that has read my book has noticed as well. Needless to say, I made a few changes so that they are not everywhere. :) Though I still love them... I plan to have my final edits wrapped up this week. Then on to the next phase, which will be cover design and layout. Yes, I have my front cover already designed by my awesome sister, Kerry. But I also need a back cover. And not only that, we have to format it to a certain grid and measurement in order for it to print properly. That will be the next phase. And I will be sure to show you guys what that sort of looks like as I go, and explain that process as well. It's actually one of my favorite tasks when putting a book together. Until then, have a great week! 12/31/2014 0 Comments Happy New Year!When the year 2014 started, I had major goals in mind for my books and writing path... but like many people, I was terrified at what seemed like a LONG road to reach them. But looking back over it all, I have to say... I didn't do too shabby.
- I wanted to submit manuscripts this year... and I did. But most importantly, I wanted to finish writing what I have considered my "baby" for WAY too long... and I did. The Unfading Lands is written. - I wanted to switch publishing companies... and with nervousness and feelings of inadequacy... I did. (Best move thus far.) - I wanted to set up a website... though I am not super tech savvy, I learned and I did it. Why not, right? (Help is always appreciated with this as well. ) :) - I wanted to let go of my pride and let people catch a glimpse of what I am about... vulnerability was NOT part of the plan originally, but I wanted people to read my book before I published it so I would know if I was making the right decision. But along with that, came A LOT of vulnerability and feelings of... shyness... ME!? SHY?! But yes... yes, I was. I felt like I was bearing a side to me many people had not seen. What if they didn't like it? What if they didn't like my style of writing? But I did it. And now I no longer have those feelings. It is what it is, and people are either going to like or they won't. - I wanted to reach 1000 LIkes on my Facebook Page by December, and with YOUR help, WE did it!!! But most importantly this year, through all the uncertainties and new projects and all the learning... I've made sure I have had FUN. If it was not fun, I stopped what I was doing and took a different route. Writing is my outlet. I love it. I did not want anything to rob me of the joy I have in writing. Therefore, I didn't let that happen. And I can truly say, that though I have had a few hurdles to jump over through this new process... everything has been a blast! So when I think about my goals for 2015, I plan to not freak out, not get overwhelmed, and to allow myself to be vulnerable and let people inside my crazy head. Take time to enjoy the journey. Take notes along the way, because who knows, it all might end up in a book. I plan to keep believing I CAN DO THIS, because no one is your worst critic than yourself... So Happy New Year everyone! Set goals, work hard, believe in yourself, TRUST that God will lead you in the direction HE wants you to go in, and something tells me you can have an amazing 2015. Thank you for being a part of my life, in whichever way you are! (P.S. Sorry for the ridiculously long post) 12/29/2014 1 Comment A Creative Team EffortOne of the toughest and most valuable lessons I learned early on in the publishing world was never trust someone you do not know to handle your marketing. It may work out great for some people, but for me, on my first book, The Adventurous Life of Laura Bell, I was soooooooooo disappointed in the marketing tools my company provided for me. After all, they were part of my publishing package, they should have been awesome, right?! WRONG! But I was new at the whole book writing thing, and had stars in my eyes, and a whole lot of trust. The marketing goods were okay, they just weren't great. But how could they be? I was asking a team of designers to make something for me, yet they don't know me or my tastes. They have standard designs they use and that is that. Well, I quickly learned that if you want something done right, you have to put in a little more effort. So I have not ordered a marketing package from them since and have found my own graphic designer. As luck would have it... that would be my sister. ;) Who would know me better, right? Um..... no one. In fact, my sister and I pretty much share the same brain waves when it comes to designing layouts. I honestly have the easiest job ever. I tell her what I want, and I'm like, "Go for it. I'm sure I'll love it." And I pretty much do... every single time. Her job, I'm sure is more complicated, especially when I send her something like this.... Yep, that is literally what I sent her. That, and the descriptions in my book of the Eastern Kingdom's coat of arms, and she just goes for it. I mean, look at THAT! I didn't even cross my 't' when I wrote 'white'.... the woman definitely has patience to take that kindergarten drawing and turn it into something as incredible as the picture right below it. Pretty awesome, right?! I can only imagine what some of our conversations on the phone sound like... our husbands probably think we are crazy... but that's okay. ;) Kerry was also a PreReader... unintentionally. She convinced me she needed to read the book in order to create graphics for everything I wished to have... I can see now, why. But at the time I kind of just rolled my eyes and thought, "Yeah right... you just want a sneak peek..." haha. But I can easily see how she was able to use my descriptions and details from the book and create awesome graphics. Yep... that's what I gave her to work with... and you can see how awesome she can make it. ;) Through trial and error, we change up a few things to create something super cool. Kerry also made this.... From this.... Every graphic on my website, she has created. Minus the pics of my own personal drawings of course. So scroll around and check out her handy work throughout my website. :) She even designed the cover of my book!!!! So I have to say I am super pleased with how all my graphics and marketing have turned out so far for The Unfading Lands. Kerry has rocked it from the get go... and I can sometimes NOT be the easiest person to work with I think. ;) (Hard to believe, I know....) ;p
But I will say, that Kerry makes it all pretty easy. It's pretty handy to have a sister who is uber creative and completely understands what I am going for. Plus, we talk almost on a daily basis already, so we just add a little book talk into each convo and we tackle a lot of projects that way. We still have several graphics to post... Every kingdom is receiving their own Coat of Arms. Character profiles will eventually be coming. And of course, SO MUCH MORE!!! So keep coming back and checking out all my sister's hard work. ;) I could not accomplish everything I am without help from other people and utilizing other peoples' talents. I was not blessed with the gift of graphic design, but thank the LAWD I know someone who is. :) She makes me look good. :) And she and her husband, Kert are also singers... so check out their tunes on iTunes. :) (semi-sisterly plug there) ;) Honestly, they are really good. ;) https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/kert-and-kerry-prater/id738089439 www.facebook.com/KertandKerry 12/15/2014 0 Comments The Eastern KingdomWords from our PreReaders... In one word, how would you describe the Eastern Kingdom?
"Loyal" "Noble" "Honorable" The Eastern Kingdom is the home of King Eamon and his two sons, Prince Ryle and Prince Clifton. These three gentleman have strong connections with the Realm and will do ANYTHING to protect their kingdom and the rest of the Realm. Loyal to the Realm. Noble and honorable in character. The Eastern Kingdom will emerge as one of the focuses for The Unfading Lands. Just like the Northern Kingdom, the East will have their fair share of dealings with the Unfading Lands. ;) But what makes them a target? What sets them apart from the rest of the kingdoms? And what happens to them? Wellllllll.... you will have to read to find out. ;) As in everything I post about the book, I don't want to give too much away. All I can say is that the Eastern Kingdom is one of my favorite kingdoms in the entire book! Yes, even I have favorites... And that makes them super fun to write about and develop. I hope you find a special place in your heart for the three gentlemen of the East as well when you learn more about them. They might just possibly make your heart sigh a couple of times, but also make you want to hit them upside the head a time or two... either way, they are interesting characters that play a major role throughout the book! :) 12/8/2014 0 Comments PreReader RemarksWell, the PreReaders have completed their work! And I thought I would share some of the feedback I received while they were reading. ;) I love hearing what they have to say, especially when they reach certain parts of the book! So MUCH fun! I can't thank them enough for being a test audience either. They have all provided incredible feedback thus far, and their input only makes my work better. So what little changes I make based on their feedback, is very important. They are you guys, after all. My readers! :) I will also be giving you more information from my prereaders as I go through their comments and explanations. These guys rocked it! :) I'm excited to say that every single one so far has provided much needed, honest feedback. Now I cannot wait for everyone to read it! :)
12/2/2014 0 Comments New Marketing...With a new book comes new marketing... with new marketing comes a new look. :) Yesterday I received my new business cards! Woo hoo! May not seem like much, but it is the first thing I have received with my new book cover on it and updated information! So this is quite an exciting step! It also makes me super excited about all the other upcoming marketing that will be flowing out in the next few months. Posters, Flyers, Post cards, Author photos, Bookmarks, etc. There's a lot that goes into a marketing package... And if you have seen my old marketing, there's a lot more information added to the new. I would say I have quite a bit more under my belt now since my first business cards from 2009. :)
More books published. More retailers and vendors. More formats of my books. A website. And a new transition to adult fiction. Not a bad progression for 5 years of working it! :) This week has been great in regards to the holiday. My first Instagram shout out happened this week as well! Pretty exciting! If you have Instagram, follow me: katharineh I had my first holiday sales. :) So if you are looking for great reads for the kids for Christmas. Visit my store on here and you will have the books by Christmas! :) Until the next exciting news. :) Katharine 11/24/2014 0 Comments What's Next?!So much has been happening this past week! The ball is rollin' folks! And I could not be more excited!
As you can see by my Facebook page, if you follow it, I have launched the first introduction into the Northern Kingdom. I know I briefly introduced you to it in the last blog post, possibly teased you with it, but I wanted to put the feelers out there for you. The Northern Kingdom rocks! :) Well, I tell you that because I wrote them. You can determine if they rock or not when you read the book. But what else has happened this week? Well I wanted to update you on the whole publishing process. It's been different for me this go around since I am with a different publisher. So I thought I would share. Normally the small things like ISBN Assignment, Copyright, LOC recording, etc. are all handled by your publishing company. You pay for these services... but they usually do it for you. The company I am with now has the author take care of all of this. And boy.... it's kind of been a learning curve. I am okay with doing them on my own, because financially it is extremely cheaper to do it yourself than to pay for a middle man, but I had to do my research beforehand. So as of this week, final copyright is under way. This is a long process. It could take up to 8 months for the government to process this. My work is protected already, but the official certificate will come in the mail months from now. Lame..... I know. ;) Second thing was the ISBN Assignment. This is a big deal too. Easy to obtain, but a big role that little barcode has on the back of a book. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number... did you know this??? I actually didn't know what it exactly stood for until I researched it. But basically forever and ever my book will be listed online and in bookstores under this particular number. It is tied to my name forever. Not a commitment for the faint of heart, right? ;) It will never change and it is forever tied to that particular publisher and book. Pretty awesome right? So that has been taken care of this week as well. I also have my manuscript in the hands of my final editor. She is working on it as we speak! Woo Hoo! My Pre-Readers are finishing up, and I should have my first input back by the end of this week. Way ahead of my December 15th deadline for them. I love when deadlines aren't even needed. ;) Also, something extremely cool was I chatted with a man this week as a resource. An orthopedic surgeon to be exact. Talk about an interesting conversation. haha. But I was able to pick his brain on the process of certain injuries, surgeries, and healing procedures. Yes.... for this book. :) Don't you want to know why???? Well, you will just have to read the book. :) Muhahahahaha. BUT it was so fun and fascinating! I love tapping into other people's skills and knowledge for research purposes! :) So... all in all, it was a productive week! Lots of good stuff going on and wrapping up so that this book can hit the market! So exciting! :) I will keep you posted on even more stuff as it comes about! 11/17/2014 1 Comment The Northern HighlandsWelcome to the Northern Highlands.... the head throne of the Realm.
A picturesque land full of rolling waves of fresh, green grass and the rushing Rollings River. A land where King Granton rules supreme with a fair and honest hand. Yet... despite the calm façade, the Realm has one major problem... The Unfading Lands. But before you read of that particular issue, I want to give you a peek at the Northern Kingdom. Who rules the Realm and sits on the throne in the North? King Granton His children: Prince Edward, Princess Alayna, and Princess Elizabeth What is so great about the Northern Kingdom? Its influence. The Northern Kingdom is the head throne of the entire Realm. What King Granton decides, goes. When he says jump, the other kingdoms jump. When he says stay, the other kingdoms stay. That's how the ball rolls in the Realm. What will King Granton do to face the threat of the Unfading Lands? What ties does the Northern Kingdom have with the Unfading Lands? Why do The Unfading Lands threaten the Northern Kingdom and the Realm? I don't want to give too much away, because of course, I want you to read the book. :) However, I DID want to give you a brief introduction to the individual kingdoms and the people that live there. You will get to know these characters better... trust me. :) I wanted to give you some questions that you will be asking as you read the book and also some questions that will be fulfilled by the book. Plus.... how cool is that Coat of Arms, right?!!!!!! ;) |
AuthorHowdy Everyone! And welcome to my website! My name is Katharine Hamilton and I am a writer and multi-genre author! Thank you for stopping by! Archives
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