Month: December 2012

My Journey to the Center of CreateSpace

398px-'Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth'_by_Édouard_Riou_24Last weekend, I formatted my new novel for CreateSpace in MS Word, and survived mostly unscathed. This is my story.

First, I did the easy part: formatting the book for Smashwords and Kindle. But then – oh, then. Then I had to dust off my high school yearbook staffer hat, and tackle the paperback.

When formatting for print, you have to think in terms of two-page spreads. Your even-numbered pages will be on the left, and your odd-numbered pages will be on your right. That means you want your title page, your dedication (if you have one), the first page of your table of contents, and page 1 of your story all to be right-hand pages. You will need to insert blank pages to make this work. So: Title page, copyright page, dedication page, blank page, Table of Contents. If your ToC is an even number of pages, you’re good; if it’s an odd number of pages, insert another blank page. Then put in a “next page section break.” Continue reading “My Journey to the Center of CreateSpace”

Congrats to Flash Fiction Winner Jacqueline Hopkins

Our flash fiction champ this week is Jacqueline Hopkins. Congratulations to Jacqueline, and thanks to everyone who participated – excellent entries!

The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature here today and a place in our collection of winners which will be published as an e-book at year end.

Without further ado, here’s the winning entry: Continue reading “Congrats to Flash Fiction Winner Jacqueline Hopkins”

A Pantser’s morning monologue upon sitting down to write.

Oh…gawd.

What the Aytch-Eee-Double Hockey Stick am I doing here? I mean here in the middle of this book? Did I not have a plan when I started this? What has been going on for the last ten chapters, and why-oh-why do I have all these characters off in different places doing different things? For the love of Virginia Woolf, every narrative is supposed to have a central trunk from which all the other stuff branches out – I swear somebody told me that in a class at some point – and all I have here is a thorn bush!

Hey, a squirrel out the window. Look at him go… Continue reading “A Pantser’s morning monologue upon sitting down to write.”

Sneak Peek: The Gift

The Gift Tegon MausToday we have a sneak peek from the new fantasy novel by Author Tegon Maus: The Gift – The Chronicles Of Tucker Littlefield.

This novel is told from the perspective of Tucker Littlefield, who, before being threatened into an affair which does not involve him, is a fairly ordinary man… with the exception of a reputation for being self-interested. In an attempt to win the king’s gratitude, Littlefield pulls Elizabeth, the king’s seven-year-old niece, to safety during an attack by the Jonda. Even so, they manage to escape with the child. It is no easy road with many twists ahead. Littlefield and his companions face not only the hardships of their differences, but the power of outside forces working desperately against them.

The Gift – The Chronicles Of Tucker Littlefield is available through Amazon.com, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble. 

And now, an excerpt from The Gift: Continue reading “Sneak Peek: The Gift”