A.J. Maguire

Category: Self-Publishing

  • Evolution of a Book Cover – Nora and the Werewolf Wedding

    SO.

    Book covers are hard.

    We’re coming close to the release of Nora and the Werewolf Wedding and I thought for sure I had my book cover all settled. You’ll recognize it. Its sort of been everywhere at this point. And I’m not saying I don’t love it, because I do. I just realized that there wasn’t much TO it. And that it might not be a great representation for everything the novel has in it.

    I mean, the title alone tells us it is supernatural. You can’t have werewolves and not be smack dab in the middle of paranormal or fantasy genres. And I suppose the title hints to romance as well because of the whole wedding aspect, but it’s vague because we don’t know if Nora is the one getting married or someone else. (Yes, it’s someone else.)

    So I went back to the drawing board, as it were, and was hunting for maybe something else that might fit. This one got shot down by my husband pretty quick because he felt the wolf aspect was overdone for the genre. I’m still not sure I should have listened to him, but he DOES read the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genre, which this book fits into. The romance is really secondary to the plight of poor Nora and Derrick, FYI.

    As a woman, I like the picture. It’s pretty. And I want to ruffle some wolfie ears and snuggle in the snow. But. I’m not sure it really tells us what the story is about either. So again back to the drawing board and hunting for ideas here. I want mystery and danger and romance and werewolf-paranormal-magic-something in my cover!

    So, I really liked the moon in this one. There was a sense of romance because of the couple, and that great big moon is a little unsettling. The tree, however, did not really match the setting. The majority of the book takes place in Allegany New York, near the lake and some super pretty forests and such. There seems to be too much black on the screen too. It’s not super eye-catching, you know? And while the wolf aspect can be subtle with the moon, it didn’t quite hit the spot.

    And BEFORE you ask, no. None of these are AI generated.

    SO!

    Now we come to the one I think I have settled on. It could change between now and August, but presently I love the blue in this one. It catches the eye. And I have the romance of the couple, and the wolf howling in the background. And that great big moon.

    (Brief reminder that you can PREORDER Nora’s first book through Kindle!)

  • Nora, Updates, and Radio Silence

    For those who have been following along, they’ll notice that aside from Round Robin Blogs it has been a little quiet on my end. Which is unusual for someone who tries to get a post up a week while shouting excitement about the upcoming novel Nora and the Werewolf Wedding. ((See that COUNTDOWN at the side of the page!!))

    To be blunt, life has been happening.

    And when Life has not been happening, I have been working steadily on edits for Nora and the Autumn Duke – the second book in Nora’s series, due to be released in 2024.

    Which brings me to a Writing Truth — Sometimes you have to sit back and deal with Life. It isn’t being lazy and it isn’t something to criticize yourself for. There is a major difference between procrastination and not having the brain space necessary to approach the page, and it is important to learn that difference.

    And honestly, once you’ve dealt with Life in whatever capacity you need to, your writing always benefits. You’ve learned something new to put in the pages of your work, and that is equally important.

    So.

    Where have I been?

    I’ve been doing Life.

    What am I doing now?

    Still hard at work with Nora’s second book, which I hope to have completed this month. If not this month, then certainly the beginning/middle of next. I’ve included some pretty covers – Nora and the Werewolf Wedding’s official cover is easy to recognize, but we have some placeholder covers for the second novel too.

    Once this book is done, I’m looking at a change of pace. I have several fantasy short stories that I would like to compile into an anthology and set out for sale in time for Christmas. This is partly because Torven – that tiny novelette I wrote all those years ago – cannot be printed anymore due to new guidelines at Amazon. The anthology will include a copy of Torven precisely so that you can get it in a printed version again. So don’t be shocked when you find it is no longer for sale. It’ll be back.

    That shouldn’t take me past August, though, and I still hope to start working on Tango Five – the third book in the Tapped series – starting in September.

    ALSO…

    Advance Reader Copies of Nora and the Werewolf Wedding are starting to generate some reviews. Thus far these reviews have made me smile. Readers are enjoying Nora and I look forward to seeing what more might be said. If you want to join my review team, you can find it at Book Sirens, which is a new thing for me. It’s free, with the request that you leave an honest review after, but the spots are limited.

    Happy Reading/Writing everyone!

  • The Great Genre Battle

    For those of you who have been along for the ride, you know that I have been writing a series of books that revolve around a supernatural counselor. Or rather, a counselor who counsels the supernatural who live amongst us.

    Both work, really. She is a wizard, after all.

    In any case, I have fought with the defining genre almost since the moment of the book’s inception. I thought at first it was straight Paranormal Romance, but as the story grew I became convinced it was Urban Fantasy because, quite frankly, the love story isn’t the main focal point of this first book. In fact, it isn’t the focal point of the second book either. However, when stepping back and looking at the whole of the series, the love story written there actually is the focal point.

    There’s just a lot of world/setting/stuff to get through in order for that love story to come to fruition.

    I will be honest and say that I thought it couldn’t be Paranormal Romance unless there was a vampire-killing group who all wore leather pants and kicked some serious batoosh on the page. But I am also honest in that I am basing that assumption on a bazillion book covers. It isn’t a genre I normally read, which is weird because internet algorithms keep flashing their covers at me. The books I frequent are marketed as Fantasy Romance.

    Which…

    Yes, as a matter of fact, Nora’s books could feasibly be called Fantasy Romance as well. The only issue being that it is set in contemporary times and in our world, which lends itself to the Ubran Fantasy genre.

    However, the setting is not a major player, which my research tells me is one of the defining elements of an Urban Fantasy. Something about that setting has to be made into a plot issue in order for the book to qualify, and I’m afraid it’s all just trimmings insofar as Nora’s books go. The main driving force behind Nora’s books are the relationships between the people.

    Because she’s a counselor. And an empath.

    This is what leads me to the idea that it is Paranormal Romance, even if we don’t have the love story as the focal point. Nora’s story is complicated. We learn a lot of things about bright folk living amongst humanity, the existence of Fairy, and the policing force set out to keep bright folk in line.

    We’ll put it this way: it bends genres.

    It mixes and matches.

    It’s the beginning of a love story.

    It’s an adventure.

    And it has werewolves.

    So it’s a lot of fun and in the end, don’t we want to have fun when we read?

  • Where I Pretend I Know What I’m Doing…

    I have a plan and it’s a good plan.

    Or at least I think it is a good plan.

    Ask me again when all this is over.

    So here’s the plan… Last Child of Winter is nearly complete. It turned out longer than I intended, which I think is probably good because it means I have more I can edit out come the revision pass. In any case, my beloved husband got me a Planner for Christmas and I have plotted out the first several months of 2023.

    Why am I telling this to you, gentle, kind, lovely Reader (or listener, if you prefer the podcast version)?

    Because those plans include a release date!

    On May 9th, 2023, Nora and the Werewolf Wedding will be out for sale. And, fingers crossed, I hope to have an audio version released at the same time. It’s a learning process with audio rights and things, but hopefully we will see them both available on the same date.

    Nora’s stories are my first real leap into Urban Fantasy, and for those who have been following along, I’m sure you recognize her name. She’s only been stirring around my creative brain for three years now, after a Twitter conversation gone awry. I started her story as alternate history fantasy, based in a steampunk version of our world but her voice was too sharp and by chapter four of the rough draft I had to change it.

    This was the right call because her story opened up as soon as I made the choice and it’s grown enough in my head to be an entity of its own. In fact, her second book was written in three months flat and her third is being outlined.

    And really, it makes sense since Nora’s character was inspired by Deanna Troi from Star Trek the Next Generation. (More on this in a later post.) Trying to shove Nora into 1820’s Boston stymied my creative Muse, as it were, and I came to a standstill. So, even if I think Nora doesn’t wear enough leather pants to truly qualify for Urban Fantasy, this is where we are.

    I suppose it does have werewolves, and that seems to be on the Urban Fantasy Checklist these days.

    This is vastly different from the recent release – Paw Prints on the Wall – which is still doing fabulous and I keep hearing from readers who enjoyed it. Thank you, forever and always, to everyone who has picked up a copy.

    Nora’s book is a popcorn novel. Which means it’s a lot of fantastic adventure and fun, something you can enjoy while munching on popcorn or nestled in for a rainy weekend. I poke fun at a couple of tropes, lean into some cliches because, I mean, werewolves, guys. All around, Nora’s stories are great fun to write and I am looking forward to digging into the book once more as we prepare for that May 9th release.

    P.S. Totally a placeholder cover. I have another cover in the works. A better cover. The best of all covers.

  • The Article of Doom


    She’d heard all these things before.
    She knew the chances of landing a traditional publishing deal were astronomical. All the statistics were the same. All the naysaying was the same. And that nagging voice telling her the minimum wage day job was all she would ever know?
    Yes, that too was the same.
    So why was this article different?
    Why did this one make the flickering candle of hope inside her gutter out?
    Certainly she was older now. She had experienced a plethora of rejections, and deep down she knew she was no Hemmingway reincarnated, but she had always accepted it as paying her dues. That some time very soon would be her time to shine.
    After all, there were books out there that made her cringe and she knew she was better.
    She put down her iPhone, desperate to forget the past ten minutes of reading. The irrational side of her considered unfriending the fellow author who had shared so horrible an article, but that would not give her back those last ten
    minutes. It would not light the candle of hope that had carried her through years of writing and re-writing manuscripts.
    And really, she knew it was not her friend’s fault. They were probably feeling the exact same about this dismal accounting of the publishing business.
    Her notes and carefully constructed outline sat on the desk, closed and waiting for her return, but she turned away from them. She ignored the laptop sitting in sleep mode even though the manuscript was in there, its characters begging for more life, more time, for the plot to reveal the entire point of their existence.
    She could not go back to them yet.
    Was there a point in going back to them at all?
    Her dog enjoyed a longer walk than usual, some extra belly rubs. Her cats took turns sitting on top of the closed laptop because that was how they preferred the desk to be. It meant she would stop and give ear rubs as she passed the desk like a good peasant.
    She made an unsavory snack of celery and carrots, because no fiction could melt away the calories she’d eaten at lunch.
    And then her son came home from school.
    “Why does walking down the road give me so many ideas to write?” he exclaimed, all excitement and joy.
    She smiled, heart aching because of statistics she could not dream of sharing with him. His candle still shone so bright!
    “Because you’re a creator,” she told him and kissed his forehead.
    They sat down together and with a sigh, she opened her laptop as together they began to write.

  • About Writing Different Genre’s

     

    Sedition-WEB
    First Fantasy Novel – Oh, noo’s I can’t write anything else EVER!

    A long time ago someone told me that if I started as a fantasy author, I would always be a fantasy author. It was stressed that I had to pick one field to master and then go with it, limiting myself to that field.

     

    Being the young, easily swayed person I was back then, I believed them … for about a minute and a half.

    My current list of titles includes science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. While it could be argued that science fiction and fantasy are the same genres (they’re often in the same section of a bookstore) we’re going to go ahead and draw a big dividing line between them.

    I’m sorry, but science fiction is NOT fantasy. Some books might cross the borders between the two, but when push comes to shove you know the difference when you’re reading them.

    So it’s safe to say that I dabble in several different genres at this point.

    Now, the argument still stands that if you stick with one genre you will eventually “master” it. I use the word “master” lightly because writing is a craft that very few people

    Deviation-510
    Oh, Snap! My first Science Fiction novel! Eat that, nay-sayers!

    master. We all just work hard at pretending like we’ve got it down.

     

    What I mean by “master” in this situation is that you will have written so many that you’ve trained your writing brain to create new and enticing material precisely because you have written so much of it. Your mind stretches harder for newer, fresher plot twists and characters and worlds because you’ve already used many of the tropes before.

    However, the same can be said even if you cross genre borders. Just because I used a trick in a fantasy novel does not make it free to use in one of my science fiction books. So I still end up stretching my creativity in any given book and that “mastery” is still being developed.

    Now then …

    There is the issue of “brand.”

    If you’ve been in this business for any amount of time, you’ve heard that an author has to have a particular “brand” to sell. James Patterson sells fast-paced thrillers and mysteries. Stephen King sells intricate horror stories. Jennifer Crusie sells quirky romances.

     

    AJMaguire-PersonaCover-1280h
    Sweet Holy banana’s, Batman! Here comes a Historical Fiction! I’m out of control now!

    How then, do you have a “brand” when you sell books in different genres? I addressed the issue of a brand in another blog post but didn’t really answer how I meant to brand myself.

     

    I have admitted to being awful about marketing. It feels so pretentious to wave my books around. My marketing tends to sound more like; “Hey! I wrote this book and I think it’s kinda decent so maybe you could read it? Maybe? I mean, only if you want to. Or if you have the time. Or … whatever.”

    Super wimpy, I know. My only defense is that I’d rather be writing.

    You know … “mastering” my craft. Trying to get better.

    Trying to tell a good story. The sort of story that will hit you in the gut and stick with you for a while. The kind that challenges your point of view and makes you think about how other people live and how you might be able to help those who need it.

    I want positive relevance with my books.

    For the record, I actually had to hunt for what I wanted my books to be and pinpoint why it is I bother with all the work writing is to figure this out. But in the end, once I had answered the question of “why do I write?” I was able to find my so-called brand.

    “Positive Relevance” is what I’m striving for here and what I want my books to represent and be. So … I believe that is what my brand is.  And it should reach across all genres that I write in.

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  • First Sentences, Paragraphs, and Chapters – May Round Robin

    Topic: Has so much emphasis been placed by other writers advice, publishers, reviewers, etc. on authors to have a spectacular opening page/1st chapter that the rest of the story sometimes gets left behind? What are your thoughts and experiences with this?

    Having just read Sol Stein’s On Writing, I fear I might be a little biased on this. While captivating beginnings have been hammered into my head since high school, this book brought home the reasons why.

    Readers give a novel less time to engage them than they do any other form of media out there. Movies and games and TV shows get more of a chance from potential viewers/players.

    For a TV show, you might give the first whole episode a go.

    For a movie, it’s something like the first thirty minutes.

    For a book …

    Well, for a book we get a sentence. And then hopefully a paragraph. And then maybe a page. If the narrative doesn’t engage us immediately, that book gets put down.

    Unless, of course, you have lucked out and found that rare reader who will give the whole thing a shot and THEN decide they hated it.

    So the pressure that authors are put under for an excellent first sentence, first paragraph, first chapter is seeded in a depressing reality. People just don’t have time to devote to reading the first three chapters of a book before deciding whether or not they’re going to continue.

    They need to want to continue from the very start. Something about the character or the situation has to resonate with them, or they will run off to wash the dishes. (Because nothing humbles an author more than realizing washing dishes is more interesting than their book to some people.)

    That being said … the rest of the book has to get better. I have noticed during my second drafts that I’m often tightening my work, trying to touch back to whatever resonance I managed to capture in that first page.

    And I always, always, always re-read the first chapter before I write the final chapters.

    In fact, oftentimes I end up beginning my second draft before completing the last 3 chapters of a book. I have to bring myself back to the start of it, remind myself what promises I made in the beginning that should be carried forward, before I can complete the work in its entirety.

    I tend to follow Stephen King’s advice here. I write the first draft “with the door closed.” Meaning it’s just for me and nobody gets to see it and I tell it the way that I want to tell it.

    And then I write the second draft “with the door open.” Meaning I take all the tricks of the trade I’ve been taught and write the book for my ideal reader, keeping them in mind instead of just rushing through a flurry of creativity.

    This works.

    It means that the whole of the story is down, you know what you want to say and where the book is supposed to lead, so you know what you want to set up in that first chapter. And you know what tension you need to keep through the whole book, which gives you a more cohesive story.

    See what some of my fellow authors have to say in this month’s Round Robin discussion …

    A.J. Maguire  https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)
    Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
    Dr. Bob Rich http://wp.me/p3Xihq-YV
    Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
    Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com
    Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
    Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.blogspot.ca
    Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
    Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
    Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
    Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com

     

  • The Countdown

    I am now exactly three months away from Persona’s publication date.

    What does this mean for me?

    AJMaguire-PersonaCoverArt-ChrisHoward_rev28_ART_ONLYWell, it means a lot of work, actually. I have a list of things that need to be done like … hunt for virtual space (AKA – look for people online who wouldn’t mind me commandeering their blog/site for a day) and prepping advertising spots and getting reminder letters ready for all the wonderful people who agreed to advance review the book and … so much more.

    SO. Much. More.

    Side Note: Thank you so much to all of my advanced readers. I’ve heard from most of you already and I really, really appreciate the time it takes to sit down and read a book these days. You’re all awesomesauce on toast and I uber love you.

    What happened to the Kindle Scout Campaign?

    As predicted, this was not the right fit for me. Kindle Scout is made for people who really don’t mind shouting over and over and over again that their book is up and needs votes. I am not that sort of person.

    Granted, if I were that sort of person it is entirely possible that I would sell a lot more books. The tactic seems to work very well for a lot of people. For my part, I cannot justify being that much of a pest. And if I spend all my time promoting, I get no writing done. (I am a single parent. My time is limited.)

    Having re-read the manuscript hunting for any last-minute errors and the like, I have to say that Persona is a favorite of mine. While I may have bemoaned all the research I had to do writing a historical fiction, it is still one of my favorite stories. Megan is a gentle hero, which I believe to be one of the more common and less noticed heroes in the world today.

    In any case … the countdown has begun! Three months and two days and this novel will finally be out for sale. It’s been a long but very satisfying road to see it get to this point and I’m excited for the next step.

     

     

  • Happy Release Day!

    41SPrUMbf+LTorven is officially released!

    You can find it on Amazon right now in both Kindle and Paperback versions. However, if you purchase the paperback then you can get the Kindle version for free.

    Torven is a novelette, which means it is very small – just eight chapters long. It is a fairy tale and I did write it for my eight-year-old son, so it’s safe for all ages … as long as you don’t mind a little violence.

    From the back cover:

    Torven knows he is no normal beast. What little he can remember of his past tells him that he was a man once, not the wolf he roams as now. And he had known love once; a love that ran so deeply he can feel it even in his cursed form.

    The Witch who controls him seems to delight in his torment, and under the watchful eyes of her minions Torven can find no peace. But when a poacher comes into the Blightwood Torven finds himself with a new assignment, handed down by the Witch herself.

    Unable to combat the Witch’s magic, Torven goes on the hunt only to discover that this poacher is a woman. And not just any woman, but the woman from his memory. As time runs short and the Witch’s patience grows thin, Torven must find a way to communicate with the girl, to warn her of the danger, before an even more tragic fate can befall them.

  • Editing Outlines

    Alright, so I was intrigued by the idea of editing an outline before you’ve gone in and started your story. Normally I get one outline done and then I have to edit it midway through the book to compensate for all the extra things I’ve learned about the characters and little subplots that have cropped up during the drafting process.

    So!

    Imagine my delight when, on my third draft of Dead Weight’s outline, my Muse woke up and fixed something I hadn’t even noticed was broken. It changes 80% of the book, adds tension, drives home the concept of what a tapped soldier is, and reminds everyone (including me) just how far the Consulate has gone in its hunt for power.

    And the best part?

    I’m not cringing about having to go back and re-write a ton of words. Because they haven’t been written yet. 

    On top of that, my excitement for actually getting to the writing part of this book has increased exponentially. And I still have 3 weeks left of Outline edits to go.

    Because I want to cash in on the inspiration I’ve got going on right now, I’m going to go ahead and start writing little snippets here and there. The next few passes at the Outline are going to focus on character reactions/motivations. I’ve got a solid plot foundation under me now and I just need to tweak who recognizes what and things.

    In the meantime, I’m using Camp NaNoWriMo to get caught up on some other works. Residual Haunting, for example, is in a tragic state of nearly-complete. And in other announcements, I managed to get Persona prepped and ready for print-launch.

    As with all my books, I do try the traditional market first. There were a couple of nibbles from agents and the like with Persona and, while I intend to send out another volley of queries within the month, I also wish to make sure I get at least one book out a year.

    So unless Persona gets picked up in the interim, we can expect a launch date sometime in December. (Imagine me throwing all sorts of confetti and jumping up and down in excitement. This poor book has been in the works for a couple decades now. It’s time it sees the light of day.)

    To everyone else who’s working hard at their Camp NaNoWriMo stuff … Good work! Keep going! Get words on the page! You’re six days in and all the world is at your fingertips.