You get what you give

Through the years of Writing, Blogging and Networking, I have come to this conclusion;

 You get what you give.  

Yes, yes, yes I know I didn't come up with the phrase.  And I'm not the first to say it.  

But it is true.  I continue to wonder how I made it this far, how I made it to 500+ Blog Followers,  200(ish) Facebook followers, Many more Friends, and just since 9-23-12 I have hit more than 30 Twitter followers.  

And the more I think about the ups and downs and when I get more views and followers and it is very clear. The more I comment on other blogs, Follow other people on their networking sites and befriend more authors, the more comeback I get.   

And while I LOVE helping authors and friends as much as possible, it does feel pretty nice knowing so many people care about what I have to say. 

So THANK YOU for following, befriending and sticking around.  And on that note, if I am not already following your blog, Facebook page, Twitter, Goodreads and/or any other sites/page you have, please leave your links in the comments and I will stop by!

p.s If you're a published author, you might be interested in the Twelve Books for Christmas.
(CLICK HERE)!
  

Shifted Perspective ~ A Book Review

Shifted Perspective by J. Bridger

Caleb Byrne is a bright high school senior who has enough to deal with between college choices, taking care of his single dad, and dealing with his headstrong girlfriend Joanna and an eccentric set of cousins in California. He was managing to get by until the day he woke up a Cocker Spaniel. Even if it only happens monthly and is more embarrassing than painful, the so-called ability is something that he's anxious to be rid of. 

He didn't realize his transformations would drag him into a hidden society of canine and lupine shape shifters as well as a family legacy he hates. To make matters worse, after moving to Los Angeles to learn more about his heritage from his Aunt Moira and his cousin Kalista, Caleb now struggles through life-and-death matters. He keeps angering the werewolves in charge of the shifter world, especially Kalista's boyfriend Peter, the Southern California alpha's son, who also happens to be grade-A sociopath. Worse, Caleb's floundering to keep his secret from Joanna. 

While his family offers him some support, they may not be enough as Caleb realizes that the rules in shifter society---number one is supposed to be don't kill humans---are not so ironclad. Some werewolf out there is leaving a blood-soaked trail across the Midwest and it might just be with the alpha's blessing...

My Review:

I'm stuck in the middle with this book.  It isn't my favorite book but it definitely is a good one.  Strange things begin happening to Caleb, forcing him to give up the girl of his dreams along with his dream college.   Right from the beginning you can't help but wonder how everything is going to work out.  

The book does go slow for a while. And I found that there were some points in the story where Caleb sounded more like 14 rather than 17 years old.    But it is a fun quick read.  I love the adventures Caleb is forced into upon founding out what he is.   My eyes were glued to the page from the beginning of the book.  But let me just say, when you read the last line of the book, you will be rushing to find out when the second book comes out.   I know I did and I can't wait to read the next book in the series! 

I once again find myself pleasantly surprised to find that this book was NOT full of the usual cliches.  

3.5 Dragons

Mythology Giveaway Winner, some news and a (MAJOR) announcement!

Congratulations to  Ariell Larson!!  You have won a copy of Mythology by Helen Boswell!  

An e-mail will be sent shortly.  

And now, onto other news: 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  I know mine was spectacular!  I got to go see 

Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey: Dragons (Yes, I am aware that this is only sort of related to writing)  

Yes! I got to see a Dragon Show!!! 
A huge THANK YOU to the best Sister and Brother (in-law) ever for taking me! 

 It was epic! (Plus, it was my first Circus ever!)

And tonight, I am going to see The Piano Guys in concert!!! Haven't heard of them? You're missing out!

(Yes, I am aware that this really doesn't have anything to do with writing.  Except for. . . it does.  Come back for Friday's Blog post to find out how they are related!)

Oh yeah! One more thing!
I have been putting this off for a while but have finally given in and done it.  I created my twitter account.
@KonstanzS
Follow me and I will follow you! :)

Just kidding, that wasn't the last thing. HERE is the last thing.

Here is the MAJOR Announcement I was referring to in the title of this post.

So, some of you may recall a post I did last year titled Are you an author? Do you know the one I am referring to? If yes, then I think you can guess what I'm about to announce.  If No, CLICK HERE to read the original post!  

So here is the short rundown:

Last year I did The Twelve Books for Christmas.  I interview 12 authors (per blog, there were three blogs signed up). And each author gave away a book or two or three or twelve.  :)  And we did this for the twelve days leading up to Christmas.  It was a TON of fun and even though it was short notice last year, it got a LOT of attention.

So why am I telling you about this in September?  Well here is why:

Last year I posted the "Are you an author" post on November 30th and it was incredibly difficult to get everything set up and even with my handy-dandy best friend, we still struggled getting everything ready on time.

SO, I am telling you this because I am hoping to get more than 36 authors signed up for The Twelve Days of Christmas.  :)  Want to know more? Interested in signing up?  Want to read the rules?  Everything can be found HERE on this form!

There is a slight mistake in the form.  It does say that Interview Questions will be sent out within the next week.  This is not true.  I will slowly be e-mailing out interview questions as it gets closer to the actual event! But knowing which authors are signing up ahead of time will make it easier to build up some hype!

Oh and if you're worried about participating because you are Indie, don't!  Want to know why? CLICK HERE! 

If you're worried about signing up because you are Traditionally published, don't!  Want to know why? CLICK HERE.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please look at the form first and then feel free to comment or e-mail me!

Okay, now go fill out (or at least look at) the Sign up Form!

Hit me with your best shot, Query away!

I don't mean literally.  I don't really want to be hit at all.  That kinda hurts.  No, I want you to give me the best Query advice you have ever heard!  

Yep, I am getting ready to write my first Query Letter and I. Am. Terrified!    If you are willing to share a copy of your ACTUAL query letter, PLEASE, PLEASE e-mail it to me! 

nothought2small(at)gmail(dot)com

Or if you know of public examples I can look at, please leave a link in the comments.  

Never before have I felt so close to publication and yet, so far away.   I wrote an entire novel (multiple times!)  And yet I can't even write a query letter.  Correction:  I don't know HOW to write a Query letter.  So I am asking you for help! 

Blogs about it? Great! 

Articles on the internet? Excellent! 

Things editors and publishers have told you?  Awesome! 

Real life examples? Priceless! 

Thank you in advance for all the advice and help! 

p.s Bonus points to whoever can name the song I stole lyrics from (and changed some) for the title of this post!


And now, for a special announcement! 

Celebrate the first days of autumn with a free download of Jess Lourey's latest book, the first in a young adult trilogy that Paul Goat Allen of The Chicago Tribune calls "a must read" that "truly does have the potential to become a young adult classic." The free download is available only on September 21 and 22 through Amazon. To check it out CLICK HERE!

Review coming soon! 

Also,

 don't forget to check out my current giveaway HERE!   

Mythology ~ A book review

Mythology by Helen Boswell

Hope Gentry doesn’t believe in Fate. Born with an unusual power to see the dark memories of those around her, Hope just wants to be a normal teenager. But on the first day of her senior year of high school, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to a transfer student named Micah Condie. At first glance, Micah seems like a boy that most girls would dream about. But when Hope's powers allow her to discover Micah's darkest secret, she quickly becomes entangled in the lives of mythical entities she never dreamed existed. Was this her destiny all along? And will her powers help her survive the evil of the Demon Impiorum? 

Mythology isn't just for English class anymore



My Review: 

Demons, Guardians, Soul-Seers, Dark Pasts, Bright Futures, Hope.  

Heart racing, palms sweaty, legs shaking, hardly breathing, I couldn't put this book down.

I was caught off guard by everything going on.  

A demon for a boyfriend, A rebel guardian angel.  What else do you need?

I think about what to say while writing this review and the only word that comes to mind is Fantastic.  Pretty much the whole book was Fantastic.   There area few scenes where Adult Content is DISCUSSED but it never goes beyond that.  Ever.  Beyond those few scenes where it is discussed, FANTASTIC! That is my review.  The whole thing summed up in a single word.  Because, I'm kinda having a Book Hangover.  And can't really even think about what to say when I can't get over the words I read.

But for real (not that I wasn't being for real earlier),  This book was a breath of fresh air.  All the Cliche events in a  book that I hate, weren't in this book.  I was almost expecting them to pop out and I was genuinely happy they never did.  No crazy love triangle, no boyfriend/girlfriend being jealous and overly protective (as in, you can't talk to another person of the opposite gender or I am going to think you are cheating), no tear jerking break-up moments in attempt to save the each other.  Nope, it was truly a relief and a wonderful, well written story.  Helen, you have yourself a crazy, life-long fan! 

Writing? Incredible! 

Characters? LOVE THEM!

Dialogue? Perfect! 

Story?  Give me more! 

My rating?

(For those unaware, 5 dragons notes is reserved for the books that I LOVE the MOST EVER.  Like, these books get their own shelf and I buy a billion* copies to giveaway to all my friends because the book is THAT good)

*That might be an exaggeration.

Indie vs Traditional: Why does it matter?

I know this is a HUGE topic to tackle.  A lot of people are very supportive of either Indie OR Traditionally published authors.  And I have seen a lot of posts on the subject.  You know what I've noticed?  When people talk about this, they are usually supporting Indie authors.  That is fantastic.  But I think this subject is causing a lot of tension.

Indie Authors are fantastic! I know there are a lot of self published books that shouldn't have been published.  NOT because they aren't worthy.  But because they need a LOT of editing.  And for this reason, Indie authors fear that if a reader knows they are Indie, they won't buy the book.

I also know that there are a lot of great books that are self published and you can't tell that an editor from a major publishing house didn't edit the book.   And a lot of self published authors are just as good (and sometimes even better) that traditionally published authors.

However, I also know that Traditionally published authors shouldn't be hated because they AREN'T Indie.  Guess what?  If you like a book and author, why does it matter how they were published?  It shouldn't.

I want to get published and I am weeks away from sending my novel to publishers.  I WANT to be traditionally published.  Does this mean that I don't like Indie authors? No! Does this mean that I think going Indie is the wrong way to go? No!  Does it mean that I couldn't go Indie if I so decide? No!  It simply means that I WANT to be traditionally published.  Not because I think I am better and therefore deserve it.  Not because I think it takes more work and so I know people will respect me more if I am published by a major publishing house.  No, it simply means that I have been dreaming of this for years and I WANT to be traditionally published.

There are two 'sayings' I see around often:

"Don't judge a book by its cover." 

&

"Don't judge a book by its movie." 

Today I am adding another one. 

"Don't judge a book by the way it was published." 

It shouldn't be "Traditional Authors take care of Traditional Authors" and "Indie Authors 

take care of Indie Authors." It should be "Authors take care of Authors." We work together,

 are always there for each other and always have everyone's back!

So, where do I stand when it comes to Indie vs Traditional?  In the middle.

I support Indie Authors

I support Traditional Authors

I support Authors. 

p.s: To all other Bloggers and Authors who stand with this, feel free to steal the badge on my sidebar.  If you need the html code, comment below or e-mail me and I will send it to you.   

500 Followers Giveaway WINNERS!

A huge thank you to all of my followers and friends!   Thank you to everyone who entered the 500 follower giveaway! 

And the winners are: 

Prize pack #1 winner: 

Susanne Drazic

Prize pack #2 winner:

Sharon Mayhew

Prize pack #3 winner:

MonaG

Prize pack #4 winner:

Liz Hughes

Prize pack #5 winner: 

Mary DeBorde

Congratulations to the winners! Thank you to all who entered and participated!  You are all wonderful!  (E-mails will be sent shortly.) 

500 Followers Giveaway!

Can I just jump up and down and and squeal with happiness? 

I have been running this blog for three(ish) years now and I seriously thought it would take a thousand years for me to EVER get to 500 followers.  

*Place Happy Dance HERE* 

So I have been thinking long and hard about what I want to do to celebrate 500 followers and OF COURSE I am going to do a giveaway.  The hard question is. . . WHAT am I going to giveaway? 

Well I do lots of serious giveaways and lots of books and lots of crazy things no one knows why I am giving away.  And I think for this giveaway I am going to do a mix of all of it! 

So. . . here are the prize packs:

#1: Grow your own Fantasy Creatures Kit:
(*US, only)

Put your Dragon, Fairy, Mermaid and Unicorn in water and watch them grow! 

#2: Dragonfly, Book Locket:

(*US, only)

A Dragonfly sitting on  top of a book locket.  

#3:  Hand-Decorated Journal:

(*US, only)

Winner may choose ONE of these journals.  

#4: Amazon Gift Card:

(*International)

No picture available

#5: One Book of your choice from the Book Depository
(*International as long as the BD ships to your country)

No picture available



Just fill out the form below and check back on 
Friday (9-14-12) when I will announce the lucky winners! 

Prize packs marked (US, only) are only open to those with a US address.  If marked (International), that prize pack is open to winners internationally as long as the Book Depository will ship to your country or an Amazon gift card will work in your country. 

Giveaway ends on Thursday (9-13-12) at 11:59pm and winners will be announced Friday at 12:01 AM. 

Don't forget to share this post!  (If you do, tell me in the comments.  You get extra points for that.) 


 

Oh yeah, and bonus points for commenting!  (I really do love comments!)

Oh yeah, and any prize being shipped to a US address will receive an extra little prize:

1 Book Cover, One Charm Bookmark, and one pack of awesome bookmarks! 

Help me get TWO more followers, and WIN!

There are lots of events going on here at Nothought2small in the coming months.  

In October we have:

The Spooktacular Giveaway Hop,

One (possibly two) Book parties celebrating the release of some new books,

In November there will be another Giveaway Blog Hop as well as some new announcements and trust me, plenty of giveaways. 

And then there is December.  In December among all the book parties and holidays and regular blogging, there will be the annual Twelve Books for Christmas event! 

So why tell you about all of this NOW? Well here is why:

I plan on having a MAJOR blog party the second I hit 500 followers.  Guess what? I am to followers away and if I get those two more followers next month, I may not be able to throw a huge giveaway party.   SO, I need YOUR help!  

Recommend this blog to all of your friends (and enemies, that's cool too) and come back here to THIS post.  In the comments tell me WHERE you posted about my blog (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Facebook. . . etc) 

And don't forget to give some instructions in your post:

If someone follows my blog due to YOUR recommendations, make sure they comment and tell me that on THIS post!  That way I know.  Points will be given for sharing my blog, even more points will be given if someone follows my blog because of YOU.  

And ONE (maybe two) lucky winner(s) will get an AWESOME prize pack! 

(Bookmarks, pens, pins, pendants and maybe even a book or two!) 

Okay, SHARE, NOW!  

The UPSIDE to hand writing a novel.

Lately I have had a hard time writing.  I haven't even had the "want" to write.  Not until a LOVELY chat with the even lovelier Lizzy.  And while talking to her I realized the problem.  Technology.  You see, it is soo complicated.  Everyone says it makes life easier but honestly some times it gets in the way.

When I started writing, I didn't have a computer of any sort.  So what did I do? I hand wrote my books.  And I still have them!  Want to know some of the reasons hand writing your novels is easier than using a computer?  Well let me list a few for you:

1. I don't need a back-up copy.  There's no way for my documents to get "dumped".
2. My notebooks can't be hacked.  No need to worry about my work being stolen. 
3. I can't edit while I write.  No really, I use a pen so I can't even erase.  This way there is more writing and less worrying about mistakes.  I can worry about that AFTER the book is written. 
4. My book goes where I go.  I don't have to worry about lugging around a computer of any sort.  My notebook fits in my bag perfectly! 
5. No computer issues!  No freezing, updating or crashing.  
6. Less distractions.  I don't have to worry about checking Facebook or my blogs or e-mails because I'm NOT already on the computer. 
7. When I'm done, I'm done.    Do you write late at night? I do too! And guess what? I don't have to worry about shutting down my computer and making sure my document is saved.  I simply close my notebook and hit the lights. 
8. I get to design my book cover the fun way!  The good old fashioned way using actual paper, real scissors and lots of glue.  Its multiple craft projects in one. And this way I can find what I like for ideas for future book covers.      
9. When I'm finished, I can edit my first draft while typing it up.  Twice as much work done in half the time.

So honestly, what isn't there to like about hand writing?  I LOVE IT! And I do understand that lots of people don't like hand writing anymore.  (I think that is just sad, its almost a lost art) but if you do like hand writing and are possibly having a hard time with writing (and even if you're not), I would totally recommend giving the Hand-Writing-Your-Novel a try! 

Witch Born Release day! + Interview with Amber Argyle!

Witch Song (book one) :

The world is changing. Once, Witch Song controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons-but not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by a traitor. All but Brusenna. As the echo of their songs fade, the traitor grows stronger. Now she is coming for Brusenna. Her guardian has sworn to protect her, but even he can't stop the Dark Witch. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find the traitor. Fight her. Defeat her. Because if Brusenna doesn't, there won't be anything left to save.

*Drum roll please*

I love the cover to Witch Song but I LOVE this cover even more! 

Witch Born (Book two): 

Brusenna thought it was finished. 

She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. 
She was wrong. 
Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands. 
Some things can't be saved. 
A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.
Including her life. 
Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Okay, does this series just sound amazing or what?  I LOVE IT! 

And to show it I have interviewed the wonderful (and quite hilarious) author.  

Amber is one of the funniest and most talented people I know.  

Konstanz:  Funniest thing that has happened to you at a book event? (Signing, Conference. . .etc)

Amber: Jessica Day George, Julie Peterson Wright, and I were hanging out at the end of a conference. They actually walked me to my car to make sure I arrived safely. It was my very first conference, and I'd had a foot in my mouth moment. Anyway, we spent about 3 hours in the parking garage laughing our heads off and inhaling exhaust fumes. They made me laugh about it instead of feel bad. *fist pump* Impotent trolls!!! (inside joke, sorry)

Konstanz: You are one of the funniest people I have ever met, does it just come naturally? 

Amber: Kinda. I'm a silly person, and the more nervous;/hyper I am, the sillier I become. It's not always a good thing. Sometimes the filter from my brain to my mouth is a little to porous. 

Konstanz:   If you could be any of the Disney Princesses for a day, which one would you be? (And why?) 

Amber: Love that question! It would have to be between Belle and the Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid lives in the sea! How cool is that? And she can sing (unlike myself Really, the singing in Witch Song is a longing rather than a reflection of myself). But then, she isn't a mermaid at the end. Which I think sucks. Sure she has a castle, but she had one before. Not much of a step up IMO. 

Also, have you seen Belle's library?!? I'd marry a guy for that alone (sorry, hubby, but you know it's true). Plus, she gets a house full of servants. I want a house full of servants. And she can sing. And I like roses.

Belle it is. 

Konstanz:  If you had to invent a super power, what would it be? 

Amber: The ability to make other people happy. 

And this last questions goes to Witch Song: 

Konstanz:  I read an interview you did on another blog and was just taken away by one of the questions and your answer.  The question is: If your book was about to made into a movie, what would the tagline for the poster be?

And your answer was:  As the seasons crumble, the last Witch must fight to save a world that hates her.    (I am totally in love with this!) 

Why didn't you use that for the tagline on the book? 

Amber: I have no idea. Maybe we should have. 

See?  Didn't I say she was hilarious?  And seriously,  isn't that tag line just amazing?  Really, it should have been used for the book.  

Thank you for stopping by, Amber! 

Why does the Reader interview the Author?

So an author e-mailed me about reading their book and possibly doing a review and possibly a giveaway and maybe even a review on my blog after reading the book for them.

And it hit me!  

Why do Readers interview Authors?  

I mean, really why do we?  Well there are a few answers but the biggest one that comes to mind is:  

We want to know more about the person who writers our favorite books.  

But after honestly thinking about it. . . shouldn't it be the other way around?  Shouldn't the author want to interview the reader?  Get the readers opinion?  I want to know what my readers want when it comes to my books.   Dislikes, likes, how they would do it different.  I mean, seriously what better way to get rid of Writers Character Block?  

I mean, of course readers want to know more about their favorite authors and I have seen some really cool interviews.  And yes, reviews are written by readers so the whole world knows what they think of that book BUT how often do Authors stay away from reviews?  

And honestly, how much information does a book review REALLY give us?  

I think Authors should start interview the readers.  If the reader has read the book written by the interview author, GREAT! Ask questions about how they feel about certain things in the book.  

If they haven't. . . . even GREATER!  Ask them what they think the book is about just by looking at the cover and reading the title.  Ask them what they THINK is going to happen.  

Besides, this is no more crazy than Authors interview the characters from the book. . . is it? 

So seriously,  this isn't just some crazy idea I will later on forget about.  If you're an author, wanting to get more exposure, send me an e-mail with your interview questions, whether I have read your book or not.  I will post the interview on my blog, you can post the interview on your blog.  We can post the links all over Facebook and Twitter and Goodreads and Google+ and any other social networking sites you can think of! 

nothought2small(at)gmail(dot)com

We can discuss what I like about your book or whether I honestly believe I would bring myself to read the book if I just happened across it.  You ask me, and I'll answer! 

PLEASE tell me what you think in the comments or on the form below!