Such an Exciting Week!

I am not sure where to even start.  I took my cover illustrator around the terrain that inspired the terrain in Outcast and The Blackguard.  We even managed to get some shots that were from "a dragon's view"

Heather and I have had a great time touring the area and showing her different vantages she can use for the cover of Bloodmines.  We covered most of the state in one capacity or another.  We even sat by a stream for awhile that shows up in The Bloodmines.

It meant I wasn't around a lot to work on the next book or publicity.  So imagine my joy when this came out in the local paper.

Add to that, I have heard the first three audio chapters for The Blackguard and you could just about peel me off the roof.  Life is spiraling to somewhere good and I feel caught up in the whirlwind of excitement.  My new website is well on its way to being built for the release date of August 1, 2014 and Becky even put a little dragon in a hard hat on it for now.  dragonologists.com

If anyone ever tells you that dreams don't come true.  I can attest they do.  You just have to work hard to obtain them and not give up!

Publishing with Createspace - What I Did Horribly Wrong!

When I found a company willing to work by email and upload to publish my novel, I was very excited. There are some definite pluses to createspace.com.  However, in my excitement to publish, I proofed with their electronic proof application.  This had worked wonderfully and cut down the time to have my children's book, "How the Dragons Got Their Colors", to the shelf quicker.  I do not recommend this to novelists.  Order the hard copy proof!

The book launched electronically and when my copy of A Blue Dragon's Geas: Outcast arrived, I was so very excited.  My illustrator, Heather Scoggins, had done a beautiful job for me. I loved the concept she chose for the blue dragon.  Later, when I sat down, I was horrified.  On the top of every page, my name is spelled wrong, an error not caught in the header.  My fault.  I stared at it in disbelief.  I have a long name but who would have guessed I would spell my own name wrong.  I got out a highlighter just in case.

As I read through the book, I found where I had left out the word 'that'.  This is a common problem for me as I hear it in my head when I read back and something I watch for in edits.  I found homonyms that spellchecker and I both did not catch.  I had an editor, but he missed it too. Other little errors jumped off that printed page.  I had gone through the electronic version slowly and carefully but there is something different about holding a book in your hand.  I really suggest you order the proof and sit down with a highlighter.

Advantages of Createspace.
Optional packages for publicity and help.
Easy upload system that moves your book straight onto Amazon shelves.
Easy conversion to kindle option at no charge.
No upfront costs.
Good payment systems.
Great commission options

Disadvantages:
If you are on a no frills budget, you are on your own for editing and proofing.
It is easy to miss small errors in electronic print.
No big company helping you get your book on the shelf.
The amount of time spent in having to proof and reproof construction errors with only one set of eyes.

I do recommend this company for any author breaking in.  I have learned a lot having to do it on my own. However, as I finish reading my novel with a highlighter, I know a second edition will be uploaded soon.  For those of you that got a first edition with my name spelled wrong, shelve that copy.  If I ever get rich and famous after I die, who knows, it might be worth something.  At this moment, there are only 15 out there.

Meet Becky! Our Children's Book Illustrator.

Rebecca Hunt - Click to see other artwork

Hello, I am Rebecca, though most of my friends call me Becky. I am a twenty-something mom of one adorable little boy and wife to an amazing husband. I have been born and raised in Minnesota my whole life and love it here.

As a child and young adult, I loved to draw, color and paint. I was rarely without some kind of drawing utensil and something to draw on. During junior high, I was drawn to the kids show Veggie Tales, not only for their cute stories, but also the computer animation. I decided then that I wanted to work at Big Idea, the creators of Veggie Tales, and so that fed my passion for art. Throughout junior high and high school I took all the art classes I could, trying to focus on my drawing and computer skills. After high school, I went to college for graphic design and got a diploma in that field. I worked in the field for a short time before I discovered that it was not what I really had wanted to do. But, the good news is that my college experience gave me the skills to do what I am doing today, which is illustrating books for my good friend Cheri.

After over 5 years of hardly touching the hobby I called a passion, Cheri inspired me to draw up her story, so I did. And now, after all that time, I am a published illustrator. My passion for fantasy art and culture fuels my creativity in my drawing. Now as we work on our second book together, I am inspired to  draw so much more. I cannot wait to see more of our books hit the shelves, and I look forward to getting more of my art out to the masses.