Tucson Festival Of Books

This last Saturday I participated in the Tucson Festival of Books which took place on the University of Arizona campus. For $50 ($25 per slot) I was given two, 90 minute sessions under the author's tent to promote my self-published novels. I was surprised I hadn't heard of this event before in the past, but it's definitely one I am going to participate in in the future. The festival brought all sorts of authors, self-publishing companies, kids booths and anything related to writing.

The event coordinator told me I could have a large table in a high traffic area - but in the sun - or I could have half a table in a lower traffic area in the shade. Even though it wasn't even mid-March yet, it was still about 88 degrees out. Regardless, I decided to take the table in the sun for more 'floor space'. I sold six books in the 90 minutes of that first session, but got a bit of sunburn in return.

During my first hour and a half, I managed to be seated near a woman who was trying to get a proposition off the ground to make a certain amount of weed legal in Tucson. She was a bit loud and overshadowed my table at first, but the event coordinators quickly quieted her down.

After that, I had a real wild card of a lady approach my table. When I tried to tell her about my book, she snapped her fingers and told me to cut to the chase. After that statement, she requested I give her a description of each section in my novel - I have 52 chapters! I humored her and described what I could but then she launched into a strange conversation about how she can be invisible to others sometimes. I figured she was speaking figuratively - like invisible as in people don't take notice of your qualities - but then she made the comment that she could walk into someone's room and slide into their bed without them knowing about it. I couldn't help but spit out the word 'creepy' and she agreed. From there she ranted about being able to walk through walls and I was done with her at that point.

Luckily, she was the heaviest dose of crazy I had during the day. I tell you what, I seem to attract all kinds when I go to these signings. My brother and I were joking about how I should write a book just on my experiences at these book signings. And you know I will.

After the first time slot, I wandered the event with my brother and my wife for a couple hours. We explored the kid's area where Sasha and Rodney Glassman were signing and giving out copies of their children's book, Jeremy Jackrabbit Harvests the Rain. We grabbed one and had it signed for our future kid.

We also managed to grab a $1 comic book for our future kid, Lookit!. Actually, I'll end up reading it. It is a comic book.

Bookmans had two tents at the event where I was able to touch base with a couple of the event coordinators - Anthony and Travis - who have both been gracious and hospitable in allowing me to do signings in their Tucson stores in the past. Bookmans was even giving out straw hats with "I Love Bookmans" buttons on them. Although I didn't get there in time to nab a hat, I did get my hands on a button. That's right. I am now boss.

 














We managed to stumble across a guy dressed in stormtrooper armor who was wandering around the kids section. We had to get a pic.

The U of A campus opened their observatory free of charge, although I don't think anyone was able to see the actual telescope. We did see their mineral and gem displays though.

Barnes and Noble had a huge tent where you could check out the Nook and get your questions about ereaders and ebooks answered. I thought that was pretty neat.













There was even a bus, although despite my temptation to jump on board, I didn't have time before my next time slot.

The second round of book promotion was incredibly slow and only furnished one book sale. However, I had a great time just sitting back and talking with the other authors around me about the self-publishing process. By then, the clouds had moved in and were blocking the heat, giving us a nice, cool afternoon.

I met author Denise Bjornson and grabbed a signed copy of her book, Defining Gray.

Overall, a great event and, like I said earlier, definitely one I'll be doing again next year if at all possible.

Interviews (Round 1)

In the past week or so I've done a few interviews which I'll take a moment to list here, in case anyone is interested in finding out why I decided to become an indie author, when I started writing, or where some of the inspiration to my stories actually comes from.

The first interview was done a few weeks ago on Whispers of the Muse, a great site dedicated to spotlighting authors and their work, fan fiction, and writing tips. Check out the list of author interviews and excerpts of author's work (including mine) here - http://whispersofthemuse.org/AuthorSpotlight/SpotlightFrame.html

The second interview I took part in was for Scott over at Indie Book Blog. What started as a post in an Amazon forum calling for indie fantasy authors has turned into a great blog dedicated to indie authors of many different genres. The blog showcases Scott's reviews of self-published work and giveaways of great ebooks. Check out his interview with me here - http://indiebookblogger.blogspot.com/2011/03/interview-6-with-david-alderman-and.html

The third interview I did was posted yesterday and was for Jenny Melzer at The Inner Bean, a great site devoted to all things writing. Jenny posts guest blogs from prominent authors in the indie industry, podcasts and articles on writing, and promotes her own writing including her fantasy novel, The Goblin Market (Into the Green). Check out Jenny's interview with me here - http://jennybeans.net/2011/03/14/guest-blog-david-n-alderman-the-long-journey/

I'll be doing more interviews in the near future - I have one that will be posted with my good friend Paeter Frandsen soon - and I'm always open to do interviews/guest posts if asked.

Writing Prompt #5 - Blam!

Happy Monday everyone! Here is today's writing prompt to get your week started right.

Remember, you can write as little or as much as you'd like, and if you want, you can post your prompt right here. **All work is under copyright of its authors**

Here we go...

Your character(s) hears what sounds like a gunshot and hunkers down....


Jeremy heard the shot and knelt to the floor, shielding his head with his arms. 

"What are you doing down there?" Megan asked.

He lifted his head, scanning the crowd around him for signs of the shooter. Nothing seemed out of place. Nobody looked incredibly suspicious. At this level, he could see the silver anklet that Megan wore just above the straps of her heels, a charm in the shape of a flying crane dangling from it.

Standing up, Jeremy checked his white shirt and tuxedo jacket, verifying he hadn't been hit. "I..."

Megan giggled, sipping from her wine glass. "You're being silly. It was a wine bottle being uncorked, not a gunshot." She wrapped her arm around his neck and looked directly into his eyes. "Now, since it's just about midnight, I think we need to discuss this kiss that I want when the clock strikes twelve."

As beautiful as Megan was - her dazzling green gown brought out a glimmer in her eyes that Jeremy had a hard time resisting - he had no desire to kiss her. New Year's Eve might have been a decent excuse for her to request such a trivial thing, but he wasn't prepared to give in. Not with a contract out on his life.

Another gunshot. Instead of flinching, Jeremy simply scanned the room again. 

Megan touched her gentle hand to his face. When she did so, the large silver bangles on her wrist slid down her arm. "You really need to relax."

"He's been shot!"

To his left, Jeremy watched as a man with gray hair crumpled to the floor, a circle of blood seeping through his white shirt. Megan dropped her wine glass as screams and shouts erupted through the ballroom.

Scanning through the crowd, Jeremy searched for the shooter. Panic filled the dance floor as the hordes of people pushed and shoved their way out of the double doors into the lobby of the hotel. 

Megan grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the exit. But he pulled out of her grip and stood in the middle of the dance floor, searching, his eyes taking in every small detail - the overturned tables, the scattered chairs, the stage and the microphone, the piano and the tip jar. Nothing seemed out of place. Everyone was running for the exit or helping those who were lingering behind to help the man who had been shot. 

He was dead. There was nothing Jeremy - or anybody else - could do for him now.

He felt the pull of Megan's grip on his arm again, this time reluctantly going with her as they made their way out of the ballroom.

The Great Witch Evanescence - A Character Profile

Since I like to post on aspects of writing on Fridays, I figured I'd take some time out today and introduce everyone to one of the villains from my stories - Evanescence. Also known in some circles as the Great Witch. She is a character found in my current scifi/fantasy series, Black Earth, and will be found in my young adult series - Expired Reality - debuting this summer. As a side note, Expired Reality takes place 100 years after the events of Black Earth, just so everyone is clear on the chronology of events in regards to the references made in this post.

Evanescence is a powerful, nefarious witch who first made an appearance in the original drafts of my young adult novels years ago.Her birth came when I attempted to create a dark, mystical character who had, at one point in the past, fought for Earth's destruction and almost perished because of it. During this great battle - which will be told toward the end of my Black Earth novel series - Evanescence is drained of most of her magic and health and is forced to go into hiding on the planet of Anaisha. There, she enchants one of Anaisha's richest men, Jerad Montlier, using his money and power to gain herself sanctuary in his home while she regenerates her dark powers.

Magazine ad that served as inspiration for Evanescence

A lieutenant in Satan's own army, Evanescence is currently found in my Black Earth series as a lieutenant in the merged armies of Satan and the alien entity known as Legion. Together, these forces travel through the universe, smothering planets in darkness and emptying them of life before destroying them completely.

Evanescence is more than a witch, she is also mother to an immortal girl named Pearl. Pearl can be found in the Black Earth books, at first trying to kill herself in a desperate attempt to avoid having to watch what will become of the Earth at the hands of her evil mother. Despite Evanescence's attempts to gain Pearl's assistance in destroying the earth, Pearl refuses and quickly becomes enemies with her mother. This feud is only agitated when Pearl decides to pursue romance with a mortal.

In the Black Earth series, Evanescence's character is usually always presented with blue color schemes. She is seen in the novels wearing a bright blue corset and gown. Her eyes glow cerulean and her black hair is streaked with blue. She wears a necklace that carries a sparkling blue gem - possibly one of the sources of her powerful magic.

Evanescence's weapon of choice is a silver staff that she uses both to attack her foes with dark magic and to control the black mist of Legion. The staff also enables her to call forth terrible creatures - such as hellhounds - which she looses upon the planets she is conquering. Although in the Expired Reality series she is first seen as a somewhat decrepit woman who lacks any powers at all, she is still able to enchant and deceive almost any mortal she comes across.

Look for Evanescence in Black Earth: End of the Innocence, Black Earth: The Broken Daisy, and throughout the upcoming Expired Reality series debuting this summer.

Ginormous List of Online Self-Published Book Reviewers

In this self-publishing journey, I am just now learning how invaluable online book reviewers are to getting word spread about an authors work. In that vein, I want to let you all know of a gigogiganticnormous (yes, I made up the word) list that I found of online book reviewers who review self-published authors. If you're an indie author looking for people to read and review your latest (or oldest) work, make time to check it out!

http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net/reviewer-list.html

Balancing The Scales

Okay, so we're already in March - are you kidding me? - and I have yet to complete some of the projects I foresaw myself debuting by now. Lately I've been feeling a bit overburdened, trying to juggle just way too many things at one time. Although my goals at the beginning of the year were a bit lofty to begin with, I see that my plate is quickly becoming weighed down not only with the work of completing my 2011 projects, but the stress that comes with realizing I can't reach every goal that I had intended to when I first created my project list at the beginning of the year.

I took a good look at my list of current projects and rearranged my priorities, moving some things to the back burner temporarily until I can get caught up. Right now I've decided to focus my energy on four main areas: writing, marketing, the email newsletter, and my blog. My young adult novels - the Expired Reality series - take highest precedence right now, aside from marketing efforts. Because of this, I am postponing two things: The LZR Project - which I planned on debuting this month - and any audio renditions of my writings.

I believe The LZR Project, a mini-story series that takes place before my young adult novels, is better suited being released after the first couple novels debut. By that time, readers will be familiar with my series, my characters, and will hopefully want to invest the time to check out the back stories of the main heroes.

The audio....well, that has to be postponed for a number of reasons. I don't really have a suitable location to record audio (the environment around my apartment complex is ridiculously noisy), nor do I have the time or gas right now to drive to a more isolated location to record. Recording and editing is also taking much longer than I had initially wished it to, forcing me to have to move my audio projects toward the bottom of my project list temporarily. I will still do audio versions of my writing in the near future, but right now they are going to have to wait.

I am really looking forward to the debut of my young adult series this summer. In order to get everything in line for their release, I have to step up my game. As much as I hate admitting that I'm falling behind in anything, I have to call this for what it is - a very busy time in my life - and adjust things accordingly.

Writing Prompt #4 - The Golden Acorn

Without further ado, here is today's writing prompt.

Remember, you can write as little or as much as you'd like, and if you want, you can post your prompt right here. **All work is under copyright of its authors**

Here we go...

Your character(s) is walking through the forest when they see something glittering near the trunk of a tree in the distance. Upon closer inspection, they realize it's a golden acorn...

Scarlet drew closer to the small item on the forest floor. The way the rays of sunlight piercing through the treetops hit the acorn both dazzled and blinded her somewhat. She drew the front halves of her cloak together to shield from the cold breeze moving through the forest and reached down to pick up the acorn.

It felt heavy in her palm, like solid gold. Maybe it was. But if that was so, where did it come from? Scarlet glanced around. Only trees and dirt. The occasional rabbit. She thought an owl was watching her and then realized it was simply sleeping on a branch, no obvious ill intention.

Scarlet realized standing in the middle of the forest probably wasn't the safest thing to do, especially with twilight approaching in a matter of hours. She had to reach her destination before darkness fell upon the land and the beasts came out to hunt.

Clutching the golden acorn, she made her way swiftly through the trees, watching the ground for hunter's traps, but keeping a close eye on the horizon of forest in front of her. The acorn felt warm in her palm - almost too warm. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bright glowing light in the base of one of the trees.

She stopped and turned toward it, seeing that a door had been carved into the side of the tree. Where a knob would be, a hole had been burrowed through the trunk in the shape of an acorn.

Scarlet scanned the area around her again, fearful for what this could mean. She had heard all the rumors of other worlds, of other planes of existence. Most were only accessible through magical means. Could this acorn be the key to unlocking a door to another reality, maybe another world?

Placing the acorn to the hole, she shoved the item into the tree. With a steady creak, the door opened inward to a sea of bright yellow light. 

Scarlet had been wanting to leave this world for so long. Leave her abusive boyfriend behind - the man she was actually fleeing from at the moment, leave her dilapidated shack, her dying dog. Everything was dead to her now, shriveled and worn by the ages inflicted upon them. 

With a deep breath and nothing to lose, Scarlet stepped into the tree.

Rebuilding A World

Years ago, when I first wrote and self-published the first two novels in my young adult series, Expired Reality, I really thought I had created a believable, compelling world that my readers could get lost in. I made up a planet named Anaisha (the ai is prounced the way it is in the word pain) and simply gave it the same attributes that Earth had. I figured that would save me a lot of trouble, preventing me from having to create minute details about another world that I didn't really care to take the time to build up properly.

Now that I'm going back through the revisions to those novels, I've realized my grim mistake. Simply making up another planet and giving it all the same attributes as Earth just because I didn't want to put the time into getting creative is lame and boring and it does me no good for a series that I plan to run across the next 5-10 years.

I've sat and analyzed what I think I might have done wrong, step by step, and am taking the necessary measures to make sure these mistakes don't carry over into my recent revisions -

** First, I built an unbelievable fact into my world - there is no religion. In the original manuscript, I simply ran my story under the assumption that religion was outlawed - across the entire planet. Not only was it outlawed, but there were no religions that people were secretly believing in and practicing. The only exception I made to this was a strange cult obsessed with four elements - fire, earth, air and water - that lived in underground sanctuaries away from the eyes of the world powers.

The big problem with this? Completely unbelievable. Would an entire planet that has been populated for at least a hundred years not believe in a higher power or powers? Would the human race not create something to believe in, or possibly discover religions that may have been around since before the planet was even populated with the human species?

To fix this in the revisions, I begin by incorporating the government's intolerance for the belief of gods or higher powers. That's believable enough. I've added fictional gods and mythologies that have been passed through Anaisha's history. These stories and beliefs are found in certain texts, hinted at in the speech of some of my characters, and even found etched in the stained glass of the staluses - special buildings erected for the purpose of weddings, funerals, and memorials.

To add some spice to these beliefs, I make sure there is conversation/texts that coincides with designs found in the constellations, giving more weight to the people's beliefs of such gods and supposedly mythical creatures. 

** Second problem? Confusing planet with continent. In the original writings, I stated that the planet's name was Anaisha and that most of the character's interactions took place in Western Anaisha. That's pretty broad. Too broad. An entire planet with numerous different land masses, continents and areas and I boiled it all down to naming a certain half of the planet and stopping there? Sure, I dotted the terrain with cities, but that was it.

My solution was easy enough. The planet is Anaisha. The main continent my characters live their lives on is called Enera. There are other continents as well, with names that will be revealed throughout the series. Inside of Enera are the cities that I originally had set up. This gives my world a bit more realism in terms of geography instead of trying to paint a broad stroke and leaving very little to work with people's imagination.

**My third problem came when I tried to set up the government/political system of Anaisha. I originally stated in the novels that I had a president that ruled over everyone and that was the end of the story. There were police and judges and a normal judicial system much like what's on Earth. Along with that there were Anaisha Sentries - special armored guards who patrolled the city streets and enforced the law when the police were not able to.

As much as having one president to rule the entire world might have been something I got away with in the past, I wanted to add some more depth to my novels this time around. So now there is a president who resides over the continent of Enera and a mysterious figure who is actually thought of as the ruler of all of Anaisha - sort of a like a king. The president actually answers to this man - as do the Anaisha Sentries - and there are other presidents/rulers over the other continents and regions, but all answer to this mysterious figure whose face and identity have supposedly never been seen before. (The details of this mysterious figure will end up being hinted at throughout my other series, Black Earth.)

** My fourth and last really major issue I found with the old manuscripts was the lack of wildlife/creatures. It's another planet for crying out loud! No mention of fantastic creatures (aside from demons) or strange insects or anything else of the like.  An amazing creative opportunity blown.

To rectify this grievous atrocity, I've started working on creature and beast building. Aside from dragons (which in the story so far have only been envisioned) and demons, I'm creating the deadly serpents who fill the waters surrounding Galtaia Penitentiary, horrible beasts who lurk in the midst of Anaisha's numerous islands, and the mesmerizing insects populating the entire planet of Anaisha. Mythology will play an important part, especially when the characters get deeper into the series and start traversing the far reaches of Anaisha.

Building a fictional world is hard work, but the details are necessary. It's not always an easy task using Earth as an environment for your characters, but it can be even more challenging building your own planet from scratch, one that your readers are hopefully going to want to hang out in for a while.

Black Earth Double Pack And Picture Perfect (Free Ebook)

I just released a special ebook double pack of the first two novels in my Black Earth series. This double pack is only $2.99 and includes Black Earth: End of the Innocence and Black Earth: The Broken Daisy. A great deal for anyone who hasn't read the books yet and has a Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or other ebook reading device.

Grab your copy from Smashwords or Amazon.com.

Also just wanted to remind everyone that you can still grab a free copy of Picture Perfect - the first novella in my new young adult series - for your ereader. Just head over to Smashwords, put in code - XZ96L - when you checkout with Picture Perfect in your cart, and the novella is yours for free. The code expires end of this week though, so grab the book while you can. After that, the novella can be purchased for only 99 cents.

For Writers and Readers Of Indie Fiction

One of the reasons I set up this blog was to post about my journey through self-publishing. As adventurous as its been, it's always good to come across those who want nothing more than to help indie authors get on their feet and propel their works of fiction/non-fiction to new heights.

Today I'd like to direct everyone's attention to the Indie Book Blog. I found Scott, the man who runs the blog, over in the Amazon Forums when he posted a thread titled "Looking to read and review indie fantasy books". I posted my scifi/fantasy book, Black Earth: End of the Innocence.

Scott's review of End of the Innocence was great - 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon - and I've gotten a chance over the last month to see the other reviews he's posted. Scott really does put great time and effort into reading and reviewing indie books to help indie authors get their works out there, and he's created a hub for those readers interested in discovering a compilation of stellar authors who otherwise may not get the attention they truly deserve.

Right now, if you're an indie fiction author looking for reviews to be posted on Amazon.com and Scott's blog, you can head to Scott's blog and either post a comment with your interest in being reviewed or click on the Links tab on his blog and head to his Amazon Thread where you can post your interest. Scott usually downloads a sample to see if the book is something he is interested in and then moves forward from there. He has informed me that he is pretty much open minded in terms of what he reviews, but he is not interested in romance or erotica. Please keep this in mind when you are requesting to have your material reviewed.

If you're a reader looking for great indie fiction, head over to Scott's blog and peruse the goodies. You might find some contests/giveaways, and if you scroll through the posts, you might even find some free ebooks hiding amidst the other treasures.