Meet Jan Wood-Harris, Talented Artist and Author.

I am delighted to have Jan Wood-Harris here today to tell us about the first book in her Ms. Wood's Wild Art Adventures series:- a unique learning experience in art and nature for children.

A bit about me: I am a self-taught Artist. Producing and selling my watercolor portraits and fine art jewelry for over 30 years (Jewelry artist in the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach CA 1980-1988).  I have been teaching private Fine Art lessons for the past 20 years through numerous home schooled families, Charter schools and Public school children.

Also an illustrator, I have two children’s books self-published. A Children’s art instruction book,

Ms. Wood’s Wild Art Adventures-The Rainforest,

and a children’s picture book, Ben the English Afghan Hound, and a children’s song book Porch Party (coming soon).

I live by a small lake in Mission Viejo CA with my husband Robert and have two beautiful, artistic grown daughters, Mackenzie and Madison…and my big cat Bronson.

 QUESTION/ANSWER

What prompted you to create your book?

Illustrating children’s books was something I’ve wanted to do for years! When my 2 girls were little I’d buy books for them that would attract me visually..(sorry girls)!, and always thought, “ I could do this”!  But a busy life of teaching and raising my girls just didn’t offer me the focus that it required.  But now they’re grown so when a friend of mine asked me a couple years ago if I’d like to illustrate her true story about a dog she had in the past while living in England, of course I said yes!  So I took her little handwritten story on construction paper tied together with a ribbon and started designing the book from scratch! Even came up with the title, Ben the English Afghan Hound.  Learned all about editing, story flow and pacing, what parts of the story to illustrate, page design, and a whole lot more! Then started researching self-publishing and managed to weave my way through the madness of that quite successfully! So, now I had the bug! While working on ‘Ben’ I started formulating the idea of a children’s how to draw book that my art students would benefit from and quickly developed the idea of Ms. Wood’s Wild Art Adventures.

Can you give us one of your favorite discoveries from your book and tell us why it is a favorite?

I love puzzles!  So when I found a way to create my own puzzle for the book using specific art terms, art history, animal characters, that were all used within the book ….I was practically giddy!

What types of things inspire you and make you want to keep creating?

I’ve been teaching fine art to children for 20 years now, so I’m always trying to find ways to keep my teaching fresh, fun and inspiring to my students.  So I would guess my students are my inspiration!  Winston Churchill said it best, “If you have knowledge, let others light their candle with it”. There ya go!

Who would be your ideal target audience?

I wrote Ms. Wood’s How to Draw book to be a source of art techniques, art history and art terms for the young artist whose parent might need to help and guide them through the book.  But equally so for the young artist that can read the story and do the tutorials all on their own.  I also hoped that it could be used in a homeschool/school environments as a fun, adventurous approach to learning about the world  and the art within it.  Beyond the obvious art benefits, the teacher could also bring in facts about the rainforest, environmental issues, animals of the rainforest to round out the experience of the book.

Describe your typical writing day or week?

Since my focus is teaching each day my typical writing day or week is a constant task of organizing my time which is different each day to fit writing and illustrating in.  To describe the way I wrote Ms. Wood’s, it was late nights (till 2am-ish) in my studio painting, while watching English mystery shows on my I-pad and sipping coffee with my cat laying inches from my work.

Is there a food or drink you have to have when you’re writing and drawing?

Yes, coffee (raw sugar and a spot of milk) and a granola bar or wheat thins.  Many times when I’d be painting I’d typically have my coffee mug sitting next to my water container for painting and often would dip my brush into the coffee mug, sometimes I’d notice, sometimes not…giggle!

Can you tell us what you’re working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)?

Yes, I’m excited to say that I’m in the beginning stages of storyboarding my next Ms. Wood’s Wild Art Adventures-Japan!  This country has always attracted me to their architecture, textiles (Kimonos), Geishas, Samurai, Tea Ceremonies, dragons and their ancient legends and folklore.  So, I’m excited about this upcoming adventure as we have a magical encounter with ancient Japan…and then draw & paint what we see!

 MS WOOD’S WILD ART ADVENTURES -

The Rainforest Book Summary

As a Children’s fine art teacher for many years, I’ve learned so much from my students.  Children have such rich imaginations and are always telling their own stories through their drawings.  Through those imaginations, much can be learned.  So it just made sense to me to combine art instruction with simple storytelling in the this

charming richly illustrated book.

In this first book of the Series the reader and I are off to the rainforest.

We've got to run and catch a plane, painting the clouds we see out the plane window. 

Then, once we arrive in the Rainforest, we’ll draw or paint tropical leaves, trees in Perspective, monkeys, and colorful toucans while sitting under giant leaves in the rainforest. 

        

 

We're chased by a swarm of colorful Bees, fly off cliffs only to land in the soft rainforest fauna! 

While lying on the rainforest floor we look up at the trees - There it is...

 

…Single Point Perspective / a Bugs-Eye View! Then we head off in a hot air balloon...

Yes! A hot air balloon for an 'Aerial View'! 

I offer step-by-step examples of how to draw the cloud, the toucan, the tropical leaves, the monkey, and the trees in perspective in easy, informative mini tutorials.

This book is also filled with examples of master artists who also have painted clouds, plants, birds, and used perspective in their own styles and mediums.

So, of course, I'll be talking about Impressionism, Modern Art, Realism and more.

 

At the end of the book there is a fun crossword puzzle using some of the art terms that we use within the book.  Plus, little hidden 'things' on each page for the reader/artist to 'observe' so that they might enjoy a

 'Fascination with Observation!

This series creates a way for children to enjoy learning how to draw and paint

what they see, while on wild 'art' adventures with Ms Wood and enrich your story time together further by studying more about the environment, animals and geography of the Rainforest. Combining these activities with a fun adventure creates a fulfilling way to learn about our world and how to draw it!

 LINKS

How to draw with Ms. Wood’s Wild Art Adventures

How to Draw Cool Stuff

Jan Wood Harris-Students Art Gallery/Forum

http://www.janwoodharrisart.com/

Meet Dan Canwell

SPOTLIGHT ON DAN CANWELL

  I would like you to meet Dan Canwell a talented new author who gives us a glimpse of his life and a exclusive sneak preview of his upcoming book - *CCCP*. 

DAN CANWELL

Born in Portsmouth in Hampshire in the 1960’s Dan Canwell has long had an interest in 20^th Century history.

With a great deal of research and fiction interwoven with historical accuracy, ‘CCCP’ is a debut novel that seeks to explain the creation and fall of the largest land empire the earth has ever known.

At various times I have been a lawyer, estate agent, waiter, hotel receptionist, egg seller and more. None of which has any relevance to the fiction I have created. I currently live and work in the north east of England surrounded by friends and just grateful that the sun comes up each morning.

How do I summarise CCCP ?

 

It sounds cold to say that it is a fictional account of the fall of the Soviet Union but in essence that is what it is but it is a modern thriller involving the KGB, the CIA, Faberge jewellery, an awful lot of history and some very intense characters. It will make you think of history differently !

Spotlight interview questions

What is your all-time favourite book and why?

My all time favourite book is The Silver Sword by Ian Serrallier, and the ‘why’ is very simple – it was the book that made me want to read. I had read books before but this brought characters to life, so that they were not fantasy but seemed real and three dimensional. The book is also set in an historical maelstrom that has fascinated me ever since. When older and no wiser, with children of my own I read it to them and was enthralled to see that they were just as captivated as I had been all those years before. Although the time period may be fading from living memory, the story of hope against adversity is one that is enduring and can be relevant to people of all ages.

Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?

People who have read the book have compared it to both Tom Clancy and Dan Brown. I hasten to add that they have said the plot is like a Dan Brown novel with political intrigue and depth, but they have not said the writing matches his……..which is a compliment [I think.] I have to say that I was aiming for a ground somewhere around there although something closer to Ludlum would have been more the target. But I’ll take Clancy and be grateful and stunned with that comparison.

What was it that inspired you to write CCCP?

I had been writing for years and frankly it was mostly rubbish with a few nuggets of creativity. The problem was that I listened to the advice to write what you know about and what I knew was the law. The curse was that I knew too much and so what I wrote became turgid and dull – fine for an anorak but torture for a reader. Over coffee one day with a friend, Lisa Sinfield, I suggested that we write a book together and we quickly mapped out a plot that seemed quite fun. I then added a bit and my ego took over, so I nicked the project with her permission, and set out to research and write the book. Lisa has approved the end result which is pleasing to me. She has some brilliant ideas of her own and hopefully will one day commit them to paper.

What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?

I am greatly inspired and amused by friends who seem to think that I can do this writing thing. As for the rest of it, I love the historical research and the lateral thinking that goes into creating the plots – of taking documented facts and making them fit my warped and mildly polluted concept of how the world operates. In my world nothing is ever quite what it appears to be. I can while away hours just ensuring that I have the right type of engine in an aircraft that might only be in the book for a couple of lines, but to me it is important to have the respect for the reader to get the facts like that right. Oh heck, I’m a real geek aren’t I ?

Describe your typical writing day or week.

As I work full time, and it is a job that places a lot of calls on my time, I don’t have a typical writing week. I grab whatever time I can and do what is available – it might be a re-write if I have no internet for research, it might be just jotting in a notebook if I have no laptop, or it might be a full on session lasting hours where I sit in my armchair and create death destruction and mayhem, all in the name of entertainment of course.

Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?

I am fuelled by toast and tea when writing. Especially the toast. Usually white bread with butter and if I am being really indulgent, marmalade. The tea must be scalding hot, almost orange in strength and needs two sugars just to counteract the tannic acid. And then more toast with a side order of toast and a dessert of toast. Please. I do like toast.

Can you tell us when you think your book will be available and in what format?

CCCP is a labour of love, but more important than that, it is also the learning project where I am making the mistakes that I hope not to repeat in the future. For that reason all I can say is that I am aiming to get it published in 2013 and it will be available in paperback and as an ebook – I am yet to decide on which platform[s]

Can you give us your favourite quote from of your book and explain it?

Oh that’s a difficult one………………but let’s try this bit [it is slightly edited so as not to spoil the plot]

‘You can’t! The yacht is mine!’ Friis was half crying half pleading for his boat which struck Tchort as rather bizarre given the circumstances.

   ‘As you choose Friis, it is immaterial to me. Give me the box.’ Tchort slid a round into the barrel of the handgun.

   ‘You’ve got orders not to shoot me!’

   ‘I might forget. Last chance Friis. Give me the box’ said Tchort calmly. Friis scrabbled around on the bunk and threw a gold box at Tchort who caught it without breaking eye contact with his opponent. Tchort slipped it into his pocket.

   ‘Now the other one, let’s not take a risk that we meet again before we have to huh?’ Friis sat dumb and mute, almost paralysed. ‘The box. Now Friis’ commanded Tchort.

   ‘It’s ……………it’s in the locker behind you.’ Friis pointed to a locker in the space behind Tchort’s head formed by the deck head. Delicately the Russian took a step back and looked towards the locker which was when Friis sprang forward and was felled by one punch to the face delivered with an almost casual violence by Tchort who had never for one moment let his guard drop. Friis slipped and fell into the cocktail of blood and vomit looking up into the disdainful expression on Tchort’s face. Calmly the Russian reached into the locker and to his surprise his hand closed on the second gold box which after a quick examination he also put in his pocket.

   ‘Thank you Friis’ said Tchort. ‘As I said, I have orders not to shoot you.’ He unscrewed the silencer from the gun and fired into the cabin floor three times. The bullets shattered the deck and went through the bottom of the boat, the glass fibre hull easily penetrated. Water began to gurgle and flood into the hull and the rocking motion of the boat on the waves diminished as the Pernilla sat ever lower in the water.

   ‘Goodbye Friis’ said Tchort ‘please remember that I did not shoot you but if there is a hell then I hope you rot in it’ and he turned and made his way up the steep ladder to the cockpit, locking the cabin hatch behind him. Friis had not moved but now began to scream and shout as Tchort untied the tender and calmly stepped into the smaller boat, started the motor and set course back towards the marina at Norsminde. Within ten minutes the yacht had sunk leaving only small whirlpools on the surface which like Friis’s life gradually faded away to nothing.

Social media at    https://www.facebook.com/dan.canwell.writer

Website at           http://www.dancanwell.com

The Characters of Dragon World, Book One

As the Dragon World series grows so too do the list of characters. As a quick reference I have put together a list of characters from the series. It’s a bit of a two edge sword though as I recognise that it could be a spoiler if you have not yet read all the books and you start learning of characters you have yet to meet. To get around that I have split the list into the three books of the series. Book one, The Bonding Crystal, will therefore have the most extensive list. Books two and three will consist of the extra characters you will met in those books. I have uploaded the character lists for book one. Book two’s list of characters will be on line soon and book three’s list will be available as soon as book three is published. Any questions, any suggestions, missed anyone out? Just get in touch I would love to hear from you.


CHRACTERS OF DRAGON WORLD.

Book one

The Bonding Crystal

Maureen Murrish

  

Abigail Gibson - Robby’s friend and self-appointed protector.

Alan Parker - A member of the gang who bully Robby at school. Also known as Porker.

Amanda Davies - Abigail’s aunt who lives in one of the three tower blocks in the town with her nine children and husband, David.

Andrew McRoss - Robby’s father.

Angelica - The maiden rescued by the dragon, Lenaker, and who became the first Talcorne of Moilana.

Bernice Biggins and Dolapo - A fellow bondling in the council clan and her dragon.

Bess - Robby’s horse at the farm.

Chester - Robby’s fletchat.

David Davies - Abigail’s uncle.

Dimble - The dragon Robby, Abigail and Frenzel meet while traveling to Moilana on first arriving in Jaswinder.

Gredfel - A goblin leader.

Haldar and Onis - A junior minister who Skelso tried to whip and then expel from Jaswinder while Haldar was a bondling. Onis is his dragon.

Helen McRoss - Robby’s mother.

Jack Gillespie and Kendra - fellow bondling in the council clan and his dragon.

Katrina and Trinder - fellow bondling in the council clan and her dragon.

Lenaker - The dragon that saved Angelica from slavers before Moilana was established.

Lex - a young unbonded dragon from the forecaster clan who Abigail and Dimble become friends with.

Lillis Ricaby and Tasnin - Fellow bondling in the council clan and her dragon.

Lord Cravell and Aldrin - Second minister of Moilana and his dragon.

Lord Featherstone and Bowe - Third minister of Moilana and his dragon.

Lord Skelso and Falstow - A junior minister and his dragon.

Lord Whickstaff and Traijus - First Minister of Moilana and his dragon.

Maltore and Cenar - The guard and his dragon on guard at the gate when Frenzel Robby Abigail and Dimble first arrive at Moilana.

Master Dickens and Blake - The games master and his dragon.

Master Hardy and Rafe - An explorer and his dragon who teach the bondlings compass reading.

Master Tollo and Eco - Master Tollo the survival/explorer master and his dragon.

Master Widcup and Khun - History/protocol teacher and his dragon.

Michael O’Shay and Quadri - Fellow bondling in the council clan and his dragon.

Mrs Billings - the brownie pack-leader.

Nelly Windlass - The leader of the gang which bully Robby at school. Also known as Big Nell.

Nicholas and Ansel - fellow bondlings in the council clan and his dragon.

Olgolgath - the longest lived dragon ever recorded.

Peter Whitfield - Member of the gang who bullied Robby at school. Also known as Witless.

Ristler - A snuffler goblin.

Rosie - Abigail's pony at the farm.

Sapna and Shelly - The first minister’s messenger and her dragon.  

Sibyl - Abigail's fletchat.

Tepti and Thrawn - A half elf and her dragon. Guardians of the sacred mountain.

Yolanda and Gilly - the keeper of the Valtran accommodation for the council clan and her dragon.

Introducing Toni Lombardo - The newest member of the YA Author Club

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The YA Author Club is expanding is author presence and bringing on new talent every single week. This week, we are introducing the newest member of our team, Toni Lombardo. She is not an indie author, and she does not plan to become one. She's working hard at establishing herself within the traditionally published world. We wish her the best of luck in her efforts and thought it might be kind of cool to offer our fans/friends/followers a new voice within the club. 
Instead of posting information about indie publishing, Toni will take a few minutes every few weeks to fill us in on her trials and tribulations as she journeys toward the Big Six.

Also... leave us a comment and let know which Big Six pic you like best #1 (first one) or #2 (second one). The one getting the most votes/comments will be the one we use to introduce Toni's posts from this point forward.

Social Media Sites for Toni:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/write_to_live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamLifewriter

Without further ado, we are pleased to introduce Toni Lombardo:

Hello there blog readers! Toni here, I am going to talk about myself now.  Hope you don’t mind.

Okay, so first off I am a twenty something (21)  and striving to be a writer!  I am currently(ish)  a student at a community college (although at the moment I am taking a break from school)  and my plan is to major in meteorology.  Of course I’ll have to transfer to a four year.  In some moments I want to major in English, because I am in love with words (a good thing for a writer, right?) .  I would like to teach an elective class in a preppy school to do with the appreciation of old timey writers (Stoker, Melville, Shelley, etc.) and introduce the kids to modern day writers who I think are fantastic such as John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) , Jay Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why) , *clears throat* T.R. Graves (not kissing up, she is actually really great, like go read her books now!) .

I have been writing since I can remember.  I wrote short stories or was forced to by teachers, but I always enjoyed it and nine times out of ten exceeded the length required or well wanted (sometimes they weren’t happy) .  My dad also made up stories for me when I was little, I hope to one day publish and anthology of them (I do attribute that to my love of the plot) .  I actually sat down to write a book when by hand when I was fourteen? Maybe? But I gave up on that book (I will one day reapproach that book, but for now the characters and I are not mixing…it’s not my fault blame them)  to write what I wanted to publish as my first.  I started that book when I was fifteen and finished it when I was sixteen and went onto the next.  I am on the third in the series and am currently rewriting the first book.  I was young when I wrote it and afraid of words like sex, so I would dance around the word.  Plus other things I wrote in it are just cringe worthy and embarrassing.  Trust and believe if a writer says their work is cringe worthy it is…we are our biggest critic yes, but if we can make ourselves cringe it is pretty correct to believe that the reader would wonder what the heck the writer was thinking.

I spend my days working at a clothing store.  I love it.  I work with kids ranging from size 6-20.  I love working with the girls who aren’t societies standard of ‘beauty’.  It’s great because you can see the kid coming in so self-conscious (because they are a size 16 not 12 like their friends)  and leave smiling because you told them they are beautiful and helped them pick out clothes and raved over how amazing the kid looked and sometimes the kid even hugs you.  I know this sounds like I am saying ‘oh look at me.  I’m so great.  Blah, blah, blah.’  That is not my intention.  Today’s society is so messed up, these kids are so self-conscious at such a young age, and they are getting bullied.  Their parents telling them they are beautiful is one thing, when a someone else makes a big deal about it the kid feels good.  I think it’s a thing everyone should do.  Encourage people, because one day you will need it.   Okay enough about my job.

I also spend my days plotting up stories and plot twists.  I like listening to music and sometimes it even inspires or curbs scenes. I like going to the gym and reading, it is where I get most of my reading in.  In one day at work…working on stock in the back room, five new book ideas came flooding in.

I have one dog, a Beta named Platelet in one tank with a snail, eight goldfish all named after characters in my books and a Plecko and a snail in another tank that is huge.  I have the plecko and snails to help keep the tanks clean.

I’d like to write more often and I need to.  It is the best and worst thing in the world, if you are a writer you will understand that sentence; if you are not a writer ask one that you know.

I use Twitter and Instagram and Facebook to interact with writers and friends and share stuff about my books and from time to time excerpts! 

I hope to change the publishing world by introducing them to new styles of writing!  And once you get to know me you know I don’t just dabble in things, I jump in whole heartedly with both feet, and most of the time without a safety net.   I am beginning to blog under the supervision and guidance of Graves (I just love her) .  Please come back bi-weekly to join me on my journey of publishing and writing on my blog series called Toni’s Big Six Journey. 

It can be found here: http://yaauthorclub.blogspot.com

Listening to: Wishing Well by Ben Moody: All for This

Quote: “Just know, when you truly want success, you’ll never give up on it. No matter how bad the situation may get.” - Unknown

Spotlight Interview Questions:

1) What is your all-time favorite book and why?

“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green (TFIOS) .  It is just perfect.  I cried on every page and went hysterical at Chapter 21.  I re-read the book within two months and re-experienced all that beautiful pain (readers of this book will get it #nerdfighter) .  Also, I bonded with my IBBF (internet best friend forever)  over this book.  We’ve known each other for a little over two months as of 7.12.2013, but it is one of the greatest friendships I have had.  So, beyond being a great book it brought me a great friend.

2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?

Oh gosh, this is a biggie.  I don’t really know.  I have my own style, but some of my darker pieces, like “The Tale-Tale Heart” which is a re-doing of “The Tell-Tale Heart” by E.A. Poe for a final English paper, have been associated to Poe.  I’m actually about to start a second mirroring piece of his, that T.R. Graves is up-to-date about.

As far as characters…People are going to think TFIOS for some of my characters, because I talk about the book ALL the time and it is a book about kids with cancer.  But my book is about a kid or two with cancer but there is more of a story to it than that, just like Green’s.

As far as my characters relating to other characters…oh I don’t know, never thought about that.  I’ve read books with characters that reminded me of mine, but never really thought about it that way.  I think Devon would like Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?

“If you don’t know, you do not deserve to know!” –Devon

Oh my, how can I explain, Devon?  Okay so in this scene Devon just found out something in his family. Sorry for being vague, don’t want to give away plot points. He is really struggling in his life at the moment and this news was just devastating.  Like a lot of teens Devon struggles with the idea of self-harm and when his brother is talking to him he (Devon)  hints to wanting to hurt himself, and when his brother doesn’t get the hint he says the above quote possibly angrily. 

4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?

Things that inspire me to write…I don’t know.  Sometimes I just see something, okay I was in a store the other day and saw a beautiful all glass frame, free standing.  I saw it and instantly knew it belonged to a character in one of my W.I.P.s, and when I got home it was already done the character would have it in their house.  So it is just kind of random, if I see something and it attaches to a character, I say it inspired me.

People- My best friend Anne is who I write for along with a few other people.  Anne is my muse and my ‘first reader’.  She keeps me going when I don’t want to write and pushes me to finish projects. So she inspires me as well as Graves, Green, Asher, and others.

Music!!! Ahh, such an inspiration!  Don’t want to say too much here because this topic is going to be a whole blog post for me!

What makes me want to keep writing—my characters.  I get a points where I miss them and I physically feel missing them, I feel pain of sorts.  Sometimes just thinking and plotting and writing notes just does not suffice, so I write to subdue the longing for interacting with them.  And I love writing, so that helps.

5) Describe your typical writing day or week.

They are random.  I write whenever and wherever.  At one point I was writing (more than this at home)  every Friday night at the bar in Red Robin, where one of my friends works.  I would buy an unsweetened peach tea with EXTRA regular syrup and she kept me in well supply.   It was a great writing environment and the support was great!

6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?

I love, love, love peach tea, but I can’t have too much caffeine otherwise I can’t sleep.  So at one point it was that, but now….yeah, it is still that, I just can’t have it all the time.

7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover) ?

Sooooo many things! The book I am working on to get published first is Life’s Not a Fantasy I have a cover idea, but no cover yet!  An excerpt? Sure!  Here is the introduction.  It is written by Devon:

It wasn’t ever supposed to be like this.  Our family was always so torn apart, even before what I’m, about to write.  Dad was out fighting for ‘our safety’ but was never home...he was a ‘lifer’.  Mom chose her favorites and clung tightly to them, and I fell to the bottom of that spectrum.  I was okay with it though.

I was always the ‘untypical typical’ teenager, meaning I was or still am the loner.  I’ve done my fair share of stupid things, but more on that later.

He, Cameron always held us together.  He was our rock.  He could make or break our family and now his name resonates with pain.

How can one name ruin everything?  How can one name bring so much pain?

It’s been days, moments, but his name already feels like a curse. 

Thanks for reading!  Hope this was entertaining.

Keep writing,

Social Media and what works.

This week on Indie Carnival we are talking about Social Media and what works.



I had to think about this for a while but I decided what it boils down to is communication. Old fashioned talking. To friends and acquaintances and colleagues amongst others. So I wondered about the type of modern electronic communication I was engaging in at the moment. First I am not a tweeter. I have never been brave enough or felt the urge to jump into those waters but I do use Facebook.

I have a page that I use for social contact and a page - facebook.com/FantasyFictionWriter- that I use for my books and to keep people updated. Though it is hard to determine how many extra sales are generated through them they are successful at informing my fans what I am up to and what is going on in my writing world.



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And then there is pinterest! I joined just a few weeks ago and already I am totally addicted. There are a lot of indie authors on pinterest and it didn’t take long for my books and the books of my fellow indie authors which I pinned onto my boards, to be shared around. Again it is not really possible to see what extra sales are being generated but it is all about the communication and saying ‘Hey, I’m here, how are you, nice to meet you.’ And that seems to be working just fine.

I know there are many other sites out there including Wattpad, YouTube and goodreads which I may be trying in the future but for now I intend to concentrate on building the channels I have.

What channels of communication do you use? Let me know what works, I would love to hear from you.

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	8.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series	10.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey	12.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
13.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler	14.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
15.	Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy	16.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
17.	Courtney Cole Writes	18.	Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
19.	Ella James	20.	Maureen Murrish
21.	Valerie Sloan

UNSEEN. the great new book by Melissa Pearl is available now.

Now Available:

Unseen by Melissa Pearl 

Danger surrounds the Seekers. Having already faced overwhelming odds, Kyla and Jethro discover it is only the beginning. Now they must face the power of nature itself. 

Each day is a test of faith. 

Two elements remain undiscovered. The light is yet to be resurrected. Dark forces prepare to descend upon the heroes of prophecy and they have one more power they must over come...their forbidden love for each other. 

Each moment is a test of loyalty and courage. 

In Taramon, Athra faces his own demons as he frets over the safety of his fiancée while trying to counter a dark evil that is brought to his doorstep. Treachery lurks in the shadows, forcing the future king into an action that could destroy his beloved city. 

Through it all, they must cling to the truths hidden in the unseen. 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18000448-unseen 

"The plotting is sublime and the pacing is perfect. I held my breath as I turned the pages, hoping that Kyla and Jethro would return in time to help save their kingdom. What a fabulous addition to this series! I can't wait for the third book!" Taylor Longford, Author of the Greystone Series. 

www.melissapearlauthor.com