Thursday, May 12, 2016

Chrys Fey on Titles

Hey everyone! Today, Chrys is visiting to share tips on creating titles for stories. Take it away, Chrys!


Alternative Titles for Seismic Crimes


Coming up with a title can be tricky. Sometimes we come up with a great title right away. Other times, we’re half-way through our first draft when a title comes, or even after we’ve edited our manuscript several times. Occasionally, our titles change during the writing process if we come up with something better.

3 Tips to Name a Book:

1. What’s the tone/mood/theme?

My published books are dark and suspenseful. Death and crimes are common. Immediately when you read Seismic Crimes you know what kind of ride you’re in for.

2. Think about the main character.

For a paranormal story, it’s clever to add the type of supernatural being that your MC is to the title. Or to at least hint at it. For example: Despite the Fangs by Dylan Newton is about a woman who is the Alpha of a werewolf pack.

3. What happens in the story? (What’s the plot/purpose?)

In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss Everdeen has to fight in a deadly competition called the Hunger Games. What happens in your story? What does your character have to do? Consider your answers and see if a title pops out at you.

When I decided to write a sequel to Hurricane Crimes, I knew I wanted to link each title in the series with a disaster and the word “crimes”. With an earthquake as the disaster, I compiled a list of possible titles:

Earthquake Crimes
Quaking Crimes
Richter Crimes
Fault Line Crimes
San Andres Crimes

But one edged them out: SEISMIC CRIMES

Seismic describes earthquake activity but it also works as an adjective. When I think seismic, I envision monstrous chaos.



QUESTION: Do you think I chose the best title?


Title: Seismic Crimes
Author: Chrys Fey
Series: Disaster Crimes Series (Book Two)
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Format: Digital and Print
Page Count: 282


DIGITAL LINKS:

PRINT LINKS:

BLURB:

An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.

Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.

When a tip reveals the killer's location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?


HURRICANE CRIMES 99¢ SALE!


DIGITAL LINKS:
Amazon CA / NOOK / KOBO 


a Rafflecopter giveaway


BIO:
Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes, Book One in the Disaster Crimes series, as well as these releases from The Wild Rose Press: 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. She is an administrator for the Insecure Writer's Support Group and has participated in the Blogging from April A to Z Challenge.
When Fey was six years old, she realized she wanted to be a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen.
Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes. She has four adopted cats who keep her entertained with their antics, and three nephews who keep her entertained with their antics. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and through her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!

AUTHOR LINKS:

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

I'm visiting Lori today.

Still going on with the blog tour. Today, I'm at Reading, Writing, and the Pursuit of Dreams, talking about setting my five-year goals and how I'm doing so far.

See you there! X

Monday, May 9, 2016

Where I Am Today

Hey everyone!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Just wanted to let you know where you can find me for the blog tour.

I'm visiting Alex, talking about writing humor.
Then at Christine's, I'm sharing info on how I blended fantasy and reality in Endless. 
And last, but not least, I'm sharing tips for what to do when the Internet is down on Tara's blog.

Have a great day!

Misha

Friday, May 6, 2016

The ENDLESS blog tour continues

No, the blog tour does have an end. Really.

The one bad thing about my book's title is the fact that I can't seem to come up with pun free phrases.

Anyhow.

Today I'm visiting Coffintree Hill and Julie Flanders, talking about read-aloud edits and narrative voice, respectively.

Enjoy your weekend!

X

Thursday, May 5, 2016

IWSG on Thought Experiments

Hey everyone! Today you won't be able to find me on the bloggosphere, but I wanted to stop by to welcome the Insecure Writer's Support Group

Also, thanks to everyone who've commented on yesterday's post. You're all awesome. 

Thought Experiments

Have you ever engaged in a thought experiment? 

Albert Einstein’s famous Theory of Special Relativity came to be in part because of a thought experiment he conducted when he was a young man.  He imagined what it would be like to chase a light beam.  That act of imagination was the beginning of a revolution in the way we understand our universe.  Imagination is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal.

The ten authors featured in the Insecure Writer’s Support Group anthology Parallels: Felix Was Here engaged in a thought experiment of sorts when they sat down to write their submissions.  The task was to write a speculative fiction story that uses an alternate timeline or parallel universe.  That means asking some interesting questions.  If you’re dealing with parallel universes, how does the parallel universe differ from our own?  If you’re dealing with alternate history, what historical event happened differently, and how did the world develop because of that change?

Any writer must harness the power of their imagination when writing their stories.  Though the thought experiments that helped make this anthology possible won’t revolutionize the world of science like Albert Einstein’s thought experiment did, these stories will hopefully entertain readers and make them think about how the world could be different.  That is also a valuable outcome, and one that most writers hope to inspire.

Imagination can change lives.  It can change the world.  If you’re interested in entertaining new possibilities, Parallels: Felix Was Here may have something to offer you.

*     *     *


Parallels: Felix Was Here
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Available Now!


Enter the realm of parallel universes!

What if the government tried to create the perfect utopia? Could a society linked to a supercomputer survive on its own? Do our reflections control secret lives on the other side of the mirror? Can one moment split a person’s world forever?

Exploring the fantastic, ten authors offer incredible visions and captivating tales of diverse reality. Featuring the talents of L. G. Keltner, Crystal Collier, Hart Johnson, Cherie Reich, Sandra Cox, Yolanda Renee, Melanie Schulz, Sylvia Ney, Michael Abayomi, and Tamara Narayan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will expand your imagination and twist the tropes of science fiction. Step through the portal and enter another dimension!

Purchase Links:

Anyone else engage in thought experiments? What stories did they inspire? 

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Insecure Writer's Support Group: This is a big one.

Hey everyone. Today I'm a bit all over the place. (Okay not really. Just here and three other blogs.) 

I'll get to this month's insecurity now, but first, let me just warn inform you of my whereabouts. 

First, I'm visiting Denise, sharing a story of the insecurities I faced when I started writing Endless. She cross-posts to two blog platforms, so if you're on Blogger, click here. Wordpress: here

Then, Jessica interviewed me on Author Tracker and Ken interviewed me on My Hogwarts Sabatical

But it doesn't feel like to skip the Insecure Writers' Support Group (and boy, do I have a doozie today), so I thought I'd leave a post here too. 


Okay so this is going to be hard. Because today I'm going to share a bit of a secret. Or not. I'm pretty sure I might have mentioned this once or twice before. 

The thing is, I don't like talking about it. 

But hey, as I said, it's a doozie of a cause for insecurity and I've been struggling with working through my feelings. So, since writing is a good way to do this (and posting gives me motivation to actually do it...) 

*Deep breaths* Warning. This does occasionally go into ranting territory. 

So on Saturday, I woke up to the thought that nothing I ever do is enough to actually succeed. 

Which, on its own, might seem like a rather silly little issue. 

Except I have an anxiety disorder. 

Yeah. I do. Had a psychologist who diagnosed me in my third year of university. Maybe I've had it forever. I know I had my first (and oddly enough last) panic attack when I was in sixth grade. People didn't handle it well. I suppressed it and thought that it had gone away. 

But yeah. My second year of university wrecked me. So badly that my mom made me go to a psychologist because she thought I either suffered from depression or did drugs. Yes. My emotional state had gradually darkened and grew so bad that my mom thought I had taken a control substance because my entire outlook on life had changed. 

I had gone from being a go-getter with huge goals and the daring to get it to someone who no longer felt like there was a point to trying anymore. 

It took me an entire year (and an existential crisis) to find myself again. During which I almost ran away (and I'm purposefully using the phrase) to the navy because I couldn't deal with my fears that I'd get trapped in a job I hated because of a degree I no longer even wanted to get.

But I clawed my way out. Step by step. First by realizing that I didn't actually have to do what people expected of me. Then, but proving to myself that I could get ahead and still write (which is actually one of the key aspects to my dealing with my mind.) 

And boy. I got ahead. I finished a shit ton of books. I got a publishing deal at 24. At exactly the same time, I was a co-owner and shareholder of an 8-digit turnover company.

It's easy to function through my insecurity when things are actually going well. 

That was 2013. 

In 2014, everything went to hell, basically, except for my and my family's health (which I'm grateful for). 

But materially speaking, we lost everything. My whole life went into a dive and I've been fighting to pull out of it ever since. 

In January 2015, I was determined to pull out and just. 

Fucking. 

Get. 

One. 

Fucking. 

Step. 

Ahead. 

It's May 2016 now. And yes, I've made progress. At the moment I'm touring the third book I released in two years. My mother and I started a business that we merged with another. 

But it's also May 2016, and after months of hard work, most of which I've spent working 12 to 14 hour work days (you know, not writing). 

And, except for the fact that I'm not able to write for vast majorities of the time and risking burn-out by writing in literally every available moment of time when I'm not sleeping, (I'm serious. Except for about eight hours of singing in total and maybe four t.v. days, I've done nothing but working, writing and sleeping since December.) I'm no better off now than I was last year this time. (In fact I'm worse off, but explaining that will probably stretch the post too far.) 

I can't describe the mixture of fury and hopelessness welling up within me as I write this. 

So on Saturday, I guess I came to the point where my anxiety would no longer be ignored. But if I give up, I'm fucked. And I won't be the only one. 

Somehow, I have to ignore the patent evidence around me to say that there is a point to this. That it must break at some point -- hopefully before I do. That yes, doing all the right things and working hard will bring me success again. 

That this time, my success won't be stolen by another asshole that I will see on t.v. with my fucking business that was also a casualty of 2014 (not kidding. Happened yesterday.). Or someone else I will probably hear of in my day-job due to (yep, you guessed it) anther 2014 casualty. 

Somehow, I have to fool myself into believing that all this will happen so that I can at least write again. Because if I stop writing, there's no point to hoping I'll become a writer, is there? 

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

News Day and Where I Am

Hey all! Welcome to my first May Edition of News Day.

For those of you who are new to the blog, News Day is a regular feature where I share news from around the bloggosphere. News can be anything from cover reveals to publishing deals and everything in between. If you think you have a bit of news that you'd like me to share, please mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with News Day in the subject line.


From This Blog 

Endless is out now. 


First, do no harm.” Blake Ryan swore that oath to become a doctor. Ironic, given that he spent most of his thousand year life sucking souls out of other immortals. 

Things are different now. Using regular shots of morphine to keep his inner monster at bay, Ryan has led a quiet life since the Second World War. His thrills now come from saving lives, not taking them. 

Until a plane crash brings Aleria into his hospital. Her life is vibrant. Crack to predators like him. She’s the exact sort of person they would hunt, and thanks to a severe case of amnesia, she’s all but defenseless. 

Leaving Aleria vulnerable isn’t an option, but protecting her means unleashing his own inner monster. Which is a problem, because his inner monster wants her dead most of all.


Blog Tour Stop

Today, I'm at Untethered Realms, sharing five reasons why I loved writing Endless. Hope to see you there!

Thursday Feature

I'm running a weekly feature on Thursdays where writer bloggers can post on my blog regardless of publishing status. At the moment, a lot of people posting are doing so as part of their blog tours, but it's open for any writer who wants to access my audience.

I have most of June open, so if you would like to book a spot, please mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with Thursday Feature as the subject.

This Week's Feature: 

The Insecure Writer's Support Group will be visiting on Thursday, posting about Thought Experiments. 

From the Bloggosphere

Coming Soon...

A Love that Disturbs by Medeia Sharif

Evernight Teen, June 17, 2016

Maysa Mazari is alarmed by her mother’s talk about arranged marriage. Meanwhile, as a hijab-wearing Pakistani-American, she wants to find love on her own. Her judgmental Muslim clique has protected her from racist taunts, although the leader, Aamal, is turning on her as Maysa strays from the group because of her attraction to Haydee.

Haydee Gomez is a former gang member and juvenile detention student. Now living with a clean-cut aunt, she wants to turn her life around, even though one person will never let her forget her roots—Rafe, her abusive pimp. Haydee attempts to pull away from a life of prostitution when she develops feelings for Maysa, although Rafe isn’t willing to give her up too easily.

Finding themselves in danger from Maysa’s friends and Haydee’s pimp, it’s apparent their love disturbs everyone around them as they fight to stay together.

Find Medeia – YA and MG Author

Blog   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   |   Instagram   |   Amazon

Out Now: 

Parallels: Felix Was Here
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology


Enter the realm of parallel universes!

What if the government tried to create the perfect utopia? Could a society linked to a supercomputer survive on its own? Do our reflections control secret lives on the other side of the mirror? Can one moment split a person’s world forever?

Exploring the fantastic, ten authors offer incredible visions and captivating tales of diverse reality. Featuring the talents of L. G. Keltner, Crystal Collier, Hart Johnson, Cherie Reich, Sandra Cox, Yolanda Renee, Melanie Schulz, Sylvia Ney, Michael Abayomi, and Tamara Narayan.


Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will expand your imagination and twist the tropes of science fiction. Step through the portal and enter another dimension!



EBook


Paperback


More good news! 

Just a quick note of congratulations to Angeline Trevana on the birth of her second son! 

Monday, May 2, 2016

Endless Blog Tour Kicks Off

Hey everyone! Today's the first day of the blog tour for my book Endless. Today, I'm visiting Rena Rockford for an interview.

Hope to see you all there!

Misha