Winter's Island blog tour

Today, the author Lillian MacKenzie Rhine stops by on her blog tour for her newly released vampire romance titled Winter’s Island. Please enjoy a blurb about the 5-star read:

Cay Winters is an impressionable free spirit from Los Angeles, California. Losing her mother at a very youthful age has given her a drive to live life a certain way. Her aunt Lulu and cousin Malcolm welcome her into their hearts, taking care of all of the things needed by a motherless child. Being an artist has taken her to a lot of interesting places; but when the chance to live in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands appears, she is eager to take it.

Once there, she is overwhelmed by the beauty and the mystique of the Virgin Islands. The food, the beaches, the attractions are amazing, but William Gatling is the best part. He takes on the task of teaching Cay how to love the right way. The only problem is the secret that he holds from her. A revelation that could rip her from his heart; or, worse yet, end her life.

The two lovers spend so much effort trying to fight their inner demons that they cannot see the true devils that are sitting in front of their faces. Once Cay fights her battles within, she can finally win the war outside. Once William accepts the truth, he can see the light.

http://lillianmackenzierhine.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/finalcover1k.jpg

Lillian is also the creator of the cover art for all her pieces, so today she will discuss what went into creating this beautiful book cover.

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First I want to mention that all the layers of this cover and all my covers are used with free stock images since I am a starving artist; but to get started, I had a totally different vision for my cover than the finished product. My thoughts were to have the back of a woman or a silhouette of a woman from behind with a nice background texture. As some may know, when it comes to free stock images...good stocks are rare and nice female stocks are non-existent. I knew I also wanted something on the cover that represented the island of Saint Thomas, VI as well. Not being able to find a free image, I input a placeholder image while I searched high and low for the perfect female (at that point I was willing to pay for a stock photo as well). Below is the first cover I created minus the female placeholder:

http://lillianmackenzierhine.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/blood.jpg

The plan was to use the feathers as a representation of a Carnival headdress and the background to simulate spilled blood. (My cover I created for my first piece was also red, so I got a few comments on that.) I had a difficult time deciding where I actually wanted to place the feathers, then somehow I ended shrinking the feathers and duplicating for a showgirl type feel; meanwhile, I steadily sought out a stock image of a female or feminine body part.

One day, I was blindly searching through my favorite stock image site when I stumbled upon an image of an abstract female profile. It was perfect for the cover; however, it just did not go with the black feathers that I had chosen in the image above; so with that knowledge, I set out to find the best background texture for the female face.

http://lillianmackenzierhine.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/feather4.jpg

The above image was my final piece of combined stocks and editing techniques. I was still able to use the feather and crimson concept as I wished in the beginning. All I had to do was add font. During my observations of book covers that I believed were phenomenal representations and those that were horrendous, I realized that either way it goes, font is the key element that can make or break a great cover. I have always loved to use color in my fonts which in some cases can be very bad...it was in my case as well. I laugh on it right now, but it is important to have a network small or large of viewers that will give you honest opinions on everything you put out. There are actual sites out there that bash and poke fun at terrible covers, so be weary of those. Without further ado, my colorful fonts:

http://lillianmackenzierhine.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/wicover1.jpg

http://lillianmackenzierhine.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/wicover2.jpg

http://lillianmackenzierhine.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/wicover3.jpg

The final cover was the one I chose to be the face of Winter’s Island, until I dove deeper into my observations of book covers. Playing around with plain white font and different fonts, I fell in love with the cover I have today. The lettering allocated to the author name section was difficult to see so I had to play around with the size and add in just a smidge of yellow to make it stand out.

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This was a very informative posting, and I thank you for sharing with all and any who plan on creating their own images.

To read Lillian’s vampire romance, Winter’s Island, please click the amazon links below. To view her past and future works, visit her blog and Facebook page also found below.

AMAZON (US):  http://www.amazon.com/Winters-Island-ebook/dp/B00EWAZECS/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379128416&sr=1-2

AMAZON (UK):  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Winters-Island-ebook/dp/B00EWAZECS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379214144&sr=8-2&keywords=lillian+mackenzie+rhine

GOODREADS:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18485178-winter-s-island

BLOG:  http://lillianmackenzierhine.com

FACEBOOK:  http://facebook.com/LillianMacKenzieRhine

TWITTER:  www.twitter.com/LillyMacRhine

A few thoughts.

Can you imagine what it would be like to carry a baby for nine months, and then soon after, all too soon, you're burying the child? You never got to experience their first birthday. You never got to teach them to ride a bicycle. You don’t get to see them off to their first day of school. There are so many firsts you never get to see.

I have a dear friend that experienced this which got me thinking about the situation. At one time, about 100 years ago, it was fairly common that you would lose a child but it isn't anymore. People really didn’t talk about it much in the past though. The idea of having children is one of a kind of continuation. It shows that life goes on. A parent shouldn't be outliving their children.

I've thought a lot about it lately. I get busy with writing duties, but still it’s been in the back of my mind. There’s a connection I feel with my kids and if it was severed in such a manner I'm pretty sure I would be pretty despondent. I really do empathize with RaeBeth Buda and do wish her and her husband all the best. 

Meet Mel.

Thanks for being here today.

You live in Australia, what's the best thing about the place you live at?

1. The best thing about this place to tell you the truth it's like every other country. But the best thing about Australia would have to be the people in Australia.

You've got an upcoming book called Australian Poltergeist tentatively and it's based on a true story from what you've told me. Can you tell the readers a little about it?

2. Well "Australian Poltergeist" is a novel that is indeed based on a true story and is the first book of three. Each book truer than the next. "Australian Poltergeist" is about a family that moves to a new town and well, like all families there's drama, there's happy parts, sad parts, the usual and then there's this family which could be classified as a disfunctional family. With the reality of something else being in the house, they indee don't work together but against. In "Australian Poltrgeist" we hear the story through naration be the teen, main character, Michelle. As the catch-like goes: "SOMETIMES THE UNSEEN IS BELIEVEABLE" 

What you tell the readers about The Deathly Roses?

3. The Deathly-Roses Volumes were the first ever piece I wrote to break out of poetry and are a new and original piece as well as genre. The genre stems from; prose/narrative dark paranormal flash fiction. The volumes are about our main character Wisty who has lived in a rich world were families force their teenage daughters of a certain age into marriage. However finding out she never actually was part of this rich family, she runs away, intent in finding her real family and who and what she truly is. There'll be 6 volumes. Volume 2 releases in October 2013. Volume 3 releases in July 2014. 

Now I realize that I'm about to ask something akin to asking you which of your children you like best but do you have a favorite of the books you've written?

4. I do have favourites of the books i've written or am writing. One would be the novel "Sunnyville" a gorey horror story, another would be "GoodSpeed" and many more. I enjoy writing! So most my writing would literally fit in this category.

It's been nice having you here today, thank you very much for your time.

Where you can find Mel: https://www.facebook.com/authormelina.turner?fref=ts

The Deathly Roses: http://www.amazon.com/The-Deathly-Roses-Volume-Volumes-ebook/dp/B00DZANRK2

The Writing Journey.

Late in 2011 I would have never imagined what is happening these days. Of course, I had written a lot of poetry before that. Some of it had been published all the way back to 1982. The very first piece, that year, was published in the YCC camp newsletter. I can’t entirely remember the piece now these days but it started something. I’ve now written poetry for over thirty years.

Back in November, 2011 I'd just released, "A Little Help." Presently, it's available at freeebooks.net for free. It was a good little book in many ways and was written for a purpose. Probably it’s not one of the best written things around though, I’ve learned a lot since then. Mainly I wanted my own job hunting manual if need be. At the time we had just gotten the empty nest which is something most parents look forward to, and dread at the same time.

Recently, I submitted my first novel, "Beyond Realms," to a couple of publishers. It's an epic type fantasy story that's almost 39,000 words. Pretty good one too I think and it was sure a lot of fun to write. Mostly I wrote it so I would have something I’ve written that my grandkids could read. It's also my 20th book.

These days there are contracts that are starting to fill up a folder that's up on my bookshelf. I wouldn't have imagined that would be happening when I had first started out. It seems the writing has taken on a life of its own and wouldn't want to live my life without it these days.

I don't know exactly where it's all headed as of yet but the ride is fun, and exciting. It'll be interesting to see what will be in another year as I continue on the journey. Well, back to working on, "Etheusela," for me.

Introducing Raebeth Buda and her newest book.

Author Information

Bio: RaeBeth McGee-Buda was born in southwestern Pennsylvania in 1987, the second daughter of Rachel Yost and Arthur Curtis McGee. RaeBeth grew up loving to read and write poetry, as well as short stories. Her childhood dream was to become a teacher. Rae Beth's dream of writing was created in her eleventh grade literature class where writing became her passion.

RaeBeth married in August 2012 to her husband, Gregory Stephen Buda Jr. and resides in a small Pennsylvania town of Fairchance. RaeBeth is a full time mother of one beautiful daughter Emma, and a mother to an angel, Dakota Emily.

She graduated from American Intercontinental University in 2010 with her associates in business administration. She enjoys spending her time writing and feels connecting with readers and sending her messages are her main goals.

(Author photo will be attached in the email)

Author Links

Author Facebook Page Link

 https://www.facebook.com/raebethbuda

Email: 

raebeth.buda@gmail.com

Blog link: 

http://raebethbuda.blogspot.com/

Twitter ID: 

https://twitter.com/raebethmcgee

 Website: 

http://raebethmcgee.weebly.com/

Silenced

Publication Date: December 12, 2012

Blurb

Amber Brown spent her entire existence believing Dave was her father. When her mother reveals this is untrue, she goes through an emotional spiral with depression. It's hard for her to believe her mother had lied to her all this time.

A move to a new home and town causes Amber to be consumed by her "darkness" and reverts to cutting to free herself from her pain.

When Casey, her new friend enters her life, she introduces Amber to parties, drugs, and Amber's new boyfriend Landon. The secret of cutting begins to take affect on Amber as she tries to hide it from her friends and family. In the midst of everything, Amber has the desire to find out who her biological father is.

Follow Amber through her trials of depression and cutting, along with the discovery of love.

Official Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyV6GfOsjxk

Purchase Links for Silenced (1st book in Series)

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Silenced-Volume-1-RaeBeth-McGee/dp/1480254665/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1355696968&sr=1-1

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Silenced-Series-ebook/dp/B00ANRBNDS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355696968&sr=1-1&keywords=Silenced+by+raebeth+mcgee

Link on Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silenced-rae-beth-mcgee/1022945794?ean=2940015999945

Silenced 2: The Overtaking

Release Date: August 2013

Blurb:

In life when one thing goes wrong, it can feel like everything goes wrong. Secrets come to the surface while friendships twist out of control, romantic relationships end, and even a dear loved one can die!

In Silenced: The Overtaking Amber’s life turns to chaos when she finds out Sarah, her childhood friend dies suddenly, her stepfather reveals another devastating family secret, and her boyfriend begins pushing her away.

After all the truth comes out, Amber turns to her darkness for comfort when her worst fear becomes reality. Her secret with cutting is discovered when she loses control and ends up in the hospital. Amber’s long journey to recovery begins with a battle. While she’s fighting her way to freedom, she discovers the one love she’s been missing her entire life.

Will Amber overtake her darkness of cutting or will the darkness overtake her?

Official Book Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPxPfvrJMqk

4 Things You Didn’t Know About Becoming a Self Published Author

Self Publishing is Time Consuming: I didn’t realize how much time I’d be putting into my book even after I was finished writing it. I knew there would be some work involved to help my book become known and I’m still working on that. I’ve spent countless hours slaving over my manuscript to try to perfect it the best I can. I’ve went several rounds of editing with beta readers and a professional editor. Not to mention the promotion it takes to get a book noticed by a small amount. I promote my work every day, even several times a day. Most mornings after getting my daughter off to school, my time goes directly to my books. I work most of the school day on promotion and writing. At night is when I am able to relax and read a book.

The Importance of Social Networking

As a self published author, most of my time is put into the social networking world. I use Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and many more sites to help me get my work out there. Word of mouth is good too. My friends and family have done an amazing job with helping me spread the word about Silenced, but that’s only part of the marketing. With Silenced being available on Amazon mainly, I strive to keep up in the social network among the hundreds of other authors out there trying to shine too.

It’s Hard to Stand Out

The self publishing industry is booming right now. It seems like everyone and their brother is an author. Therefore, there’s a lot of competition out there. But I don’t like to think of them as competition. I find it easier to become known in this tough industry is by helping others like you. Teaming up with other authors that write in your genre have helped me get my book out there to a bigger audience. But even after all the help, it’s still like I’m one small fish in the vast ocean of books.

Creating a Professional Book is Hard

I didn’t realize how much it would take me to get my book to some what stand out until after I hit that publish button. I didn’t realize how much the cover matters and how much the editing matters. I designed the cover of the Kindle version of Silenced. This took a lot of time. I had to learn Photoshop, find the perfect pictures, purchase the rights to them, and then begin designing. Even after it was said and done, I still felt it could be better. This is how the paperback cover came to life. I got with another designer, worked with her to create the amazing cover, and this took time. I was blessed enough to have the designer help me as I helped her. Then, once the book was listed on Amazon I realized there was something missing. Page numbers! Yes, I formatted Silenced without page numbers in the paperback. It actually took my six year old daughter to point this out to me. Ughh!! So not only do I have editing issues I need to fix within the text, I now have to fight with the formatting of page numbers. 

Giveway

You want to get into this. Brandy Rivers birthday is coming up so she is having a massive giveaway that runs through the 31st. Come enter to win a great book from a fabulous author, giftcards, or some swag.

https://www.facebook.com/brandylrivers/app_228910107186452
Mobile friendly: http://bit.ly/10QsTBm

Writing retreat

Many author's go on writing retreats. You go to some place, usually out in the middle of nowhere, no wifi, no internet, no cell phone. It's only you and your manuscript. I think even the meals are taken care of usually.

I can tell you that on what I make at my 'day job' I can't afford one. Actually I could use a vacation in and of itself. One of the things I do have available though is paid time off, I guess in some places they call it vacation time. It doesn't matter what you call it, they're paying you to do something other than work. Starting today I've taken two days of paid time off. Combined with two regular days off I've got four days to mostly pay attention to my manuscript. Basically, it's almost like a stay at home writing retreat. This should be fun.