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I recently read an entertaining book called The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (go here to read my review on it). It’s all about a girl who finds out that she and her friends are � a bit different, let’s say. As I was reading, it brought to mind something I hadn’t thought about for a long time.

It reminded me of a �70s TV show called The Tomorrow People. I believe it has since been remade in America, but I haven’t seen that version, so I have no idea whether or not it bears any resemblance to the original. That version was about teenagers and young adults who had paranormal powers. Boy, I wanted to be one! I wanted to move paper clips with the power of my thoughts and read minds like they could. Imagine that!

I don’t think The Tomorrow People influenced me much when I was writing the Verindon trilogy but other things definitely did, because there’s no denying I’m a geek. I love speculative stories, and if I’m honest, I think my trilogy was influenced more by TV and movies than by books. Sure, Twilight the book was an influence, but truth be told, I saw the movie of Twilight before I read any of the books. My other influences? Doctor Who (which I have been watching since I was old enough to sit in front of the TV), Star Wars and a little known TV show called Roswell. All of them inspired me.

Does that mean I copied them? No, I did not. In fact, I did my best to delete anything that I felt resembled any of them too much, sometimes changing story elements that I liked because I suddenly remembered something similar in one of these shows. The last thing I wanted to be accused of is copying anyone. However, there’s no denying that they certainly influenced me. The high school angle is in Twilight and Roswell (even Doctor Who, if you go right back to the beginning. Superman could have been an influence there too). The royal angle has been featured in Star Wars and Roswell (and several other things, if I recall), and the unusual boy who a girl is intrigued by is both from Twilight and Roswell � also another favourite show from the �80s, Beauty and the Beast, not to mention another �70s show, The Man from Atlantis.

In fact, I’ve discovered over the years that if you’ve got a story that goes like this � girl meets boy. Boy does something amazing to prove to girl that he is not normal. Girl must find out how he can do this. They (usually) fall in love � then I’ll be hooked. It was probably inevitable that I’d end up writing my own variation on that story.

How about you? Are there themes in your reading or writing that you love? What has influenced your imagination over the years? Let me know in the comments.

During the month of March I ran a promotion to tag-team with the earlier promotion of The Heir on Kindle. It was only .99c during February but I wanted to keep the momentum going afterwards, especially since The Heir‘s Kindle price has now permanently been lowered to $2.99.

As a result, I made an offer that if anyone posted an Amazon review of The Heir during March they would go into the draw to win autographed copies of the entire trilogy and a Verindon trilogy t-shirt.

I’m happy to announce that Veronica is the lucky winner! Soon your copies will be in the post to you!

I’d like to give special thanks to the others who posted reviews. They are appreciated. Also, many thanks to those who spread news of my deal by sharing things on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you all for your help.

Chances are, I’ll hold more promotions and freebies in the future. If you want to keep up with what’s going on in my world so you can enter any competitions straight away, just click on the link below to receive a free sample of the first chapter of The Heir. This will put you on my mailing list so I can make sure you’re the first to know the next time something’s available.

On the weekend I attended the Readers and Writers Down Under Convention’s book signing, which was held on Saturday 28th March on the Gold Coast. It was definitely a nice place to have a convention, although I didn’t have time to visit the beach.

I’ve been to a few different book signings over past couple of years since I became a published author, so there were many things about this event that were familiar. When I arrived I was told where my spot was and so began to set up my books and t-shirts on the narrow table I had been allocated. It was covered with a black tablecloth, just like its neighbours, and I quickly got everything ready for the arrival of the readers.

I introduced myself to the author on the table next to me, Dzintra Sullivan. A paranormal author, this was her first event, and she was a little nervous. I assured her I was too! But at least I knew more or less what to expect, although the convention did offer a couple of new experiences for me.

One of these was the fact that, on the other side of me, was a well known American author. She was one of the drawcard authors of the event and there was a continual and at times lengthy column of people going up to her desk to get copies of her books signed. Unfortunately, she and I write in different genres, so her readers usually didn’t give my books a second glance, but it was interesting to watch how a well known author goes about that kind of thing. She posed for many pictures and I’m sure her hand was exhausted by the end of the day from signing so many books.

Another new experience for me started early on in the day. Many attenders purchased t-shirts commemorating the convention, and I hadn’t been there long before someone came up to me and offered me hers. ‘Could you sign it for me?� she asked. I was happy to oblige. In fact, I think I signed more than 25 t-shirts, with some people presenting me with as many as four to sign at once (presumably for friends who couldn’t attend). I also signed at least four iPad covers. I guess, when the iPad becomes your main avenue for reading, it’s necessary to make it look the part.

I’d like to congratulate the organisers of the convention for producing such a great event. Everything ran smoothly from my point of view. I guess there may have been disasters behind the scenes, but I certainly didn’t notice them. Well done, team!

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One of the most frustrating things about many novels, especially in the YA genre, is that they are one of a series.

I work for a publisher, which means that, occasionally, free books are given to me (one of the perks of the job!). And not just our own books, either. This means that recently I have read some books that I enjoyed. One was Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke and the other Unwanted by Amanda Holohan. I found both of them entertaining and found their worlds fascinating.

However, when I reached the final page of each one, it became clear that these books were not stand-alone. The stories continued beyond their pages. I quickly raced to Amazon to look for the sequels. Guess what? Both books were so recent that they didn’t have any, not even a mention of them! Rats!

I’ve been fortunate up until now that I usually join a fandom after all the books in the series have been released. This is definitely a good thing, as I don’t have much patience. Waiting is torture for me. It doesn’t help that the last book I had to wait for like this was Allegiant, and reading it was a major letdown. I hope these two novels will reward my patience a little better than it did.

What’s the longest you’ve ever had to wait for a book’s release? Was it worth the wait? Let me know in the comments!

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Names are important things. Names allow us to identify ourselves, other people and things. They are so important. And they are equally important in a book. Especially in the name, or title, of the book itself.

But naming a book can be damned hard! Especially when it comes to finding something unique.

When I named my debut novel The Heir, my publisher frowned. ‘That’s not a good title,� she said. ‘It’s too generic.� She was right, so we made the three books all part of the Verindon trilogy to give it a unique angle. (By the way, you can still review The Heir on Amazon. I’m extending the deadline to the end of this month. Check out this for more details.)

I had incredible struggles naming my latest manuscript, which I originally wrote in 1998. While I was writing it I couldn’t think of any title that fit. It was three years later, long after I’d shelved the first draft, that I thought of the title How Far Forgive.

Now, in looking at it, I’m wondering if it’s the best title for the book.

This book is certainly different; I’ve only read one other book that bears any similarity to it at all. That one is called Picking Up the Pieces, so I can’t use that (it’s a great title for it too). And therein lies another problem in all this � not only do I need to find a good title for my book I need to find something that hasn’t been used in a similar way (or preferably at all) by someone else in their book.

So I’m stuck trying to work out if my current manuscript needs a better or more descriptive title. In brief, it’s the story of a girl who is a victim of a violent crime and then must find a way to reassemble her life afterwards and forgive the assailants, as she finds it difficult to move on without doing that.

Are you an author? How do you come up with the titles of your books? Are you a reader? What are some of the best book titles you’ve ever seen? Let me know in the comments.

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As an author, I always do my best to communicate my characters in as clear a way as possible. This can be a difficult thing, especially with complex characters.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m successful or not.

This week The Heir received a review that suggested it came across as sexist. That comment took me by surprise, if only because in the past nearly two years since it’s been released it’s never been called that before, but also because that was definitely not something I intended. I had to think back to what I had written about Sarah in The Heir. While I can see some things that might suggest that the way she loves Dan is intense, I wouldn’t have thought it drifted into the I-am-too-dependent-on-my-boyfriend category, although, from what I’ve seen with other books, opinions on how much it takes before a book drifts into those waters seem divided.

That’s the crux of the matter. So much is down to an individual’s perception. The way I perceive things as an author may be vastly different from the way a reader perceives them. We all interpret things differently based on our own experiences and how we are wired as people.

Is this a problem? I don’t know. If it is, I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it; everyone is so unique that someone’s always going to see the things I write in a different way from the way I itended. Maybe I just have to embrace these different opinions while trying not to let them affect the way I write. After all, it’s true that you can’t please all the people all the time.

Are you a reader? Have you sometimes seen books in a vastly different way from your friends? What about you as an author? Have you struck this problem before when you’ve written something? Let me know in the comments.

The bad news is that the .99c sale of The Heir on Kindle is over.

The good news is that the price of The Heir on Kindle will now remain at $2.99! It’s fantastic to think that its price is going to be so reasonable, giving a great incentive to those who think they might like to try the Verindon trilogy.

Did you buy your copy? Remember, if you review it on Amazon by 15th March you could win autographed copies of all three books in the trilogy. See last week’s blog for more details.

From the time my holiday finished at the end of January I’ve been trying to promote the sale of The Heir on Amazon. Now, however, it’s back down to Earth. I need to try some other avenues. It’s a new year so maybe I can find a new approach.

That can be tricky.

I’m always open to new ideas but sometimes it’s not just finding them that’s the problem. Sometimes implementing them can be next to impossible. Take a signing in a bookstore, for instance. It might not seem like something that’s difficult. I mean, all the bookstores have to do is get a few copies of my books and set up a table for me and I sit there for hours telling people how wonderful my book is. Unfortunately, many of them don’t want authors unless they are well known. I guess I can understand why. It’s difficult to take a risk on someone who’s unknown. What if my book sucks? They’ll be the ones who have to deal with the disgruntled customers face to face. Still, I haven’t done too badly at some book signings, so I think it’s worth the store’s time. Convincing them of that is more difficult, especially, it seems, with science fiction.

I’m active at trying to get into schools and had some with great success last year. But once more, some a wary of someone they don’t know. Again, how do they know I’m any good? I’m trying to get a few customer referrals but that can be tricky too.

I am going to a writers� festival in late March which I am looking forward to, especially since I know some other authors who are attending. It’s always great to catch up and these places can be wonderful ways of reaching new readers.

But sometimes I struggle to find new ideas for promotion. I have been wondering lately if we shouldn’t have an Aussie bookfest. But how to organise one � And would people come?

Are you a reader? Would you go to a bookfest put on by local authors? What would make you likely to attend? Are you an author? What new and innovative ways do you find to promote you and your books?

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As you may know, the first book in the Verindon trilogy, The Heir, is on sale on Kindle at the moment for .99c in the US, the UK and Australia. The sale will finish at the end of February, so there’s not long to go now.

But you can win an autographed set of the completed trilogy if you buy The Heir now!

All you need to do is read The Heir and review it on Amazon, then leave a comment in the comment section at the bottom of this blog. That way I can contact you if you win. I’ll run the promotion until March 15. If you post your review by then, you’ll go into the draw to win your autographed copies!

To purchase your copy of The Heir for only .99c, go . Don’t forget to come back here and comment when you’re done.

Happy reading!

Ìý

With The Heir on sale at the moment, I’ve been considering what usually motivates me to buy a book.

Price is definitely a motivating factor. If a book’s on sale I am tempted to buy it, especially if it’s a Kindle sale. I am buying most of my books on Kindle at the moment simply because it’s so much cheaper than buying the physical book. After all, if I fall in love with the book I can still buy a copy for my bookshelf.

The cover is another big selling point for me. I can be tempted to buy a book by cover alone and a crappy cover has stopped me buying one many times. If the cover is generic and contains simply one boring image that says little about the book then I will pass it by. Be in no doubt that covers can make or break sales.

I think the biggest thing that gets me to buy is recommendations from friends. If a person I know recommends a book I’ll definitely look at it, especially if that person has similar tastes to me. What better recommendation than a friend who loved a book you loved and says, ‘Try this. It’s just as good!�

One thing that definitely turn me off is other authors spamming me about their books constantly or doing it on sites I visit regularly. I can’t stand being bombarded with constant messages telling me I MUST buy this book. Nothing turns me off an author and their work quicker or more permanently.

All these factors I have experienced a lot lately as I am in the middle of a book buying frenzy after receiving a good quantity of Amazon gift card money for Christmas. So I continue to look at and ponder on many books out there. Which parts of a story sell it for me? I like romance but prefer it clean. I like sci-fi and fantasy so look as it’s not too technical. Lately there have been most YA books on my reading list, which is good, since I write for that genre!

What about you? What are make-or-break deals for you when you are buying a book? Let me know in the comments.

The Heir is on sale at the moment on Kindle for only .99c. I think I might have mentioned that a couple of times �

This means I’ve spent most of this month looking for places to advertise it so people can take advantage of this offer. There are heaps of sites out there that are interested in telling their people about your free or cheap ebooks. I’ve had fun sorting through a lot of them and I’m trying to keep track of who is advertising The Heir when so I can see if having my book appear on their site makes any difference to sales. I seem to have had a few sales from some free sites, which is good. I’ve also decided to pay some sites to advertise The Heir to see if paying the extra money has dividends. It will be interesting to see if I earn any of it back.

During my stroll through all these ‘advertise your ebook� places, I stumbled upon the King of ebook advertising sites, BookBub. BookBub is legendary, I discovered, amongst authors. If you advertise with them, you are pretty much guaranteed a good ranking for your book during the time the ad is run. However, they have two points against them. Firstly, they are notoriously expensive, and I’m talking take-out-a-loan expensive in some categories. Secondly, they reject about 80% of books submitted.

I ummed and ahhed about whether or not I would spend the money. Fortunately, the YA category was one of the cheaper ones. Still, it was a lot of money. Then I realised how unlikely it was that someone like me would be accepted anyway. I’ve had three books released, it’s true, but I don’t have a lot of Amazon reviews. That’s usually the first place a site like this checks.

Still, I thought it was worth a try, so I submitted, talking up The Heir and its silver award from Literary Classics. It made no difference. A rejection came back within two days. While disappointing, I wasn’t too surprised. But I wondered what made them reject it? They have a list of things on their website, such as professional cover design (I’ve got that), professionally edited (I’ve got that. I’m also traditionally published, not self-published.). They talk about Amazon but don’t give a particular rating or number of reviews you have to have before they accept you, as some sites do. So what did I do wrong? Is The Heir‘s cover just not good enough for them? Am I still too unknown? I wish I knew but I don’t think they’re going to tell me. That’s one of the biggest complaints about BookBub from other authors. They aren’t all that communicative, especially when it comes to things like this.

Realistically, being refused by them should not be taken as a judgement on the worth of The Heir, although it’s hard not to take it that way. The trouble is, I may want to try BookBub in the future and I’m not going to get far if I don’t know what they want. Do you have familiarity with BookBub? What do you think makes them include a book? What makes you decide whether or not a book is worth your time? Let me know in the comments.