Tuesday, March 24, 2015

RETALIATION Giveaway!

Please enter for a chance to win.


Goodreads Book Giveaway

Retaliation by Imogen Rose

Retaliation

by Imogen Rose

Giveaway ends April 21, 2015.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Thursday, February 13, 2014

My First Single!!

About a year ago, when I was surfing YouTube I stumbled upon a song, “If We Fall” by SHE SAID SAVE ME, and instantly fell in love with both the lyrics and the male vocal. I put the song on my writing playlist and looked up the Toronto-based band on Facebook… and liked their page. A while later, I received a PM from Joe Vercillo, saying that if my books were ever adapted for film or TV I should feel free to use his music. I had no idea who he was, but looked him up. Imagine my fan girl sqee moment when I discovered that he was the lead vocalist for SHE SAID SAVE ME! We have been Facebook friends ever since. 


The Portal Chronicles starts off with a serendipitous meeting in a London pub, which propels the lives of the characters into a time warp of what-ifs. During the prologue, which is the key to the story, Rupert is humming a song in that London pub where Olivia and he seal their fate. I always wondered what he was singing. Until late one night, when I closed my eyes and “heard” it. I wrote the lyrics and SHE SAID SAVE ME put it to music. What better day than Valentine’s Day to release this song that defines the romance that is PORTAL? 

Enjoy!!
 

Download Link: https://soundcloud.com/imogen-rose-6/portal/s-z348x
iTunes Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/portal-soundtrack-single/id819625242

SHE SAID SAVE ME
Joe Vercillo - vocals, guitar

Randy Lee - violin

Mike Olsen - cello

Ryan Granville-Martin - producer, engineer, arranger

Mastered by Nick Rawson

Cover art by Najla Qamber
Lyrics by Imogen Rose



GIVEAWAY





LYRICS

Tonight you wished upon our star
I had this feeling
Releasing dreams into the dark
Starlight revealing
A shooting star of promises
No delusions
Fades into the lights below
A spark of illusion

It’s fantasy, unwritten destiny
A portal to a secret wish
Is this real, or is this just a midsummer night dream’s what-if
Is this a dream of you and me

Is this a dream of you and me
Is this a dream of you and me

What if you’re not real, just hallucination?
An imaginary fixation
What if we escape to a new dimension?
Through a time warp in a broken constellation

It’s fantasy, unwritten destiny
A portal to a secret wish
Is this real, or is this just a midsummer night dream’s what-if

Is this a dream of you and me
Is this a dream of you and me
Is this a dream of you and me



LINKS

Imogen Rose Links: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImogenRosePage 
Website: http://www.imogenrose.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImogenRoseTweet 
Instagram: ImogenRoseGram 

SHE SAID SAVE ME Links: 
Website: www.shesaidsaveme.bandcamp.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shesaidsaveme 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shesaidsaaveme 
YouTube: www.youtube.com/shesaidsaveme 

PORTAL BOOK LINKS: 
Kindle: http://amzn.to/YQ8H16 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/VLA0qL 
KOBO: http://bit.ly/1l50C0U 
NOOK: http://bit.ly/1e8ZR0p 
Paperback: http://amzn.to/1lFNXoP 
German, French, Japanese, Spanish language editions: links on Imogen Rose’s website 
Audiobook Sample: https://soundcloud.com/imogen-rose-6/portal-prologue-mp3


RELEASE PARTY BLOGS




Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Interview: Harvey Chute


Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Harvey Chute. Harvey is the founder of the web's largest independent Kindle user forum, KBoards.com, which is popular with both readers and authors. It is, in
fact, a forum that has been a library, a directory, a brainstorming oasis, and sanctuary for me as I embarked and continue on my journey as an author and publisher. But we are not here to talk about this invaluable resource that Harvey has created. Today, we celebrate yet another achievement in Harvey's illustrious career as he publishes his first work of fiction–Stone and Silt, a young adult historical mystery. 

Harvey, I am thrilled to have this opportunity to interview you. First of all, can you tell us what inspired you to write a novel? Is this something you have always wanted to do? Were you influenced by the KB forum?

Thank you so much for having me! It’s an honor for me as a new author to talk with someone like you, who has written such an extraordinary collection of successful books.

I have always loved writing and, in fact, drafted the first scene of Stone and Silt over twenty years ago. It’s where Nikaia’s native Indian mother gives her a lesson in perseverance over adversity. Over the years, I would occasionally pull out that chapter and revise it in longhand – just doing it for the pleasure of writing.

Then, last year, I decided to get serious about writing a full-length historical novel. It was a long-held dream for me, and I was definitely motivated by the authors who participate in the KBoards forum. I was also inspired by my three daughters, all of whom read passionately. I wanted to write a story they could identify with. My younger (twin) daughters are the same age as the book’s lead character, Nikaia.


Pitch your novel to the average high school Twilight and Hunger Games fan in less than 30 words.

A half-native girl in the 1860s accidentally causes her father to be suspected of murder. With the help of a neighbor boy, she races to find the killer.

Which contemporary books would you liken Stone and Silt to? If you loved x, you will enjoy Stone and Silt.

One of my beta readers said that Stone and Silt was a mixture of Agatha Christie and Laura Ingalls Wilder. That’s a huge compliment.

If you like cozy mysteries like Sue Grafton’s “Alphabet Mysteries” and historical fiction like P.B. Ryan’s “Nell Sweeney” series, you’ll likely enjoy Stone and Silt. And the novel has a coming-of-age element to it that should appeal to readers of YA.

This book is written from the POV of a sixteen-year-old girl. How did you tap into her mindset?

It helped me to think of the girls and women I’ve been close to: my wife, my mother, my sisters, and my daughters. Each of them in their own way has deep character and strong will, and I tried to picture Nikaia’s thoughts and decisions through their eyes. Nikaia’s voice – as well as her compassion and determination - was influenced by the impressions left on me by the strong females in my life.

I was also helped immensely by my content editor, Michelle. She helped breathe life into Nikaia’s character and kept me from straying from her point of view. Because of that, the novel reads as though you’re witnessing the story from right behind Nikaia’s shoulder.

Your book starts of with a scene that would be categorized as bullying now. Do you feel that the anti-bullying measures schools have now put in place helps curb those scenes from taking place?

Yes, I do. With two daughters in high school, I appreciate the efforts that schools and communities are
putting towards preventing bullying. Students, parents, and teachers talk openly about it now, and I think students are more likely to speak out against bullying when they see it. It’s unacceptable, and everyone knows it, but it still occurs, and it takes courage to stand up against it.

The writer part of the KB forum is very indie-author oriented. However, you chose to publish through an independent publisher rather than self publishing. Many KB authors would question the wisdom of that decision.  Can you tell us what factored into you making that choice?

The indie publishing revolution is an amazing transformation for writers. It’s exciting to see the journey of the many authors who pursue that route.

With this being my first novel, there were certain things I felt were important. I wanted to have my story professionally edited, proofed, and formatted. I wanted an expertly-designed cover, and some assistance in publicizing the book.

I could have paid for those services, but thought I’d try submitting my manuscript to publishers first. Thankfully, it was accepted by a good publisher, and as a result those services are provided for me.

The indie-vs-publisher decision comes down to personal choices about things like money, control, and marketing. In working with a small publisher, I feel very involved in the production of my book, and it feels like it has been the best of both worlds for me.

Did you consider submitting your novel to the big six? Or to Amazon?

No, from the start I wanted to go with Red Adept Publishing, based on what I’d heard from other authors about them. If they had not accepted my manuscript, I probably would have shopped it around to other publishing houses.

Does being the founder of KB open up any doors for you that are perhaps closed to other new authors? If so, have you taken advantage of any special opportunities?

KBoards has been a wonderful experience for me, and my involvement in it did lead to my being approached by Wiley Inc. to help write their series of Kindle For Dummies books. My experience as co-author for five Dummies books was a great introduction to all the effort that goes into a published book.

For Stone and Silt, I’ve felt a high level of interest from KBoards members. They are generous with their support and encouragement for the book. That being said, we have well-established rules in the forum about book promotion--and unfortunately I’m not exempt from that! So for the most part I’m on even ground with the other authors on KBoards.

The biggest challenge for an author is marketing. It is one of the main reasons to aspire to be signed by one of the big six or by Amazon. Neither indie authors nor publishers have access to the same marketing power. Do you have a marketing plan in place or is this something you leave for your publishers to put in place?

Getting the word out about a book is definitely a challenge. My publisher has the lead on marketing the book, but it is very much a collaborative effort. I have an author blog that is a fun way for me to connect with readers. I’m participating in a blog tour this month that will have about twenty stops with book bloggers. And I’ll continue to reach out to bloggers and book reviewers after the blog tour ends in September.

I’ve also been asked to speak about the book at high schools, libraries, and museums, particularly in British Columbia where the story is based. It takes work to market the book, but I’m thoroughly enjoying that part of the book-writing experience.

What will Harvey do next?

I’m outlining a follow-up novel that involves many of the same characters in Stone and Silt. It’ll be another stand-alone mystery taking place in the pioneer days of British Columbia. After that, I want to write a contemporary mystery. And of course, I’ll be keeping up with the growth and activity of KBoards.

Thank you very much for talking with me today.

Check out Harvey's new book!

Book Page on RAP: http://redadeptpublishing.com/stone-and-silt-by-harvey-chute/





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Monday, September 17, 2012

Now on Tour: Die Portal-Chroniken - Portal




Die Tour: 10. September 2012 - 10. Oktober 2012





STOPS: 45

Montag - 10.09.2012
Books more than passion
Schmoeker-Welt

Dienstag - 11.09.2012
Bookaholics For Life
Alicia’s Wonder world of books

Mittwoch - 12.09.2012
Schlüsselreiz

Freitag - 14.09.2012
Miss. PQ

Sonnabend - 15.09.2012
Lesegluck
Cinema in my Head

Sonntag - 16.09.2012
Mandy’s Bücher- & Hbbyecke

Montag - 17.09.2012
Crazy-Julia

Dienstag - 18.09.2012
Steffis Bücherblog
Hanna’s Lovelybooks

Mittwoch - 19.09.2012
Schnuffelchens Bücher und Co
Angel’s Books

Donnerstag - 20.09.2012
Filos Bücheruniversum
MeyLus Buchgeflüster

Freitag - 21.09.2012
Bines Bücherparadies
Lesen und Mehr

Sonnabend - 22.09.2012
FANTASTICBOOKS

Montag - 24.09.2012
Monis Buchblog

Dienstag - 25.09.2012
L Wielesen
Stories. Dreams. Books. by Cityrella

Mittwoch - 26.09.2012
Memories
MoiMee

Donnerstag - 27.09.2012
Bella’s Wonderworld
Partir avec un livre

Freitag - 28.09.2012
The emotional life of books

Sonnabend - 29.09.2012
Nici’s Books
Angel s Blog

Sonntag - 30.09.2012
HEARTBOOKS
Buchmonster

Montag - 1.10.2012
Katrinheartsbooks
TVSC’s kleine Welt

Dienstag - 2.10.2012
Magische Welten

Mittwoch - 3.10.2012
Angels Bücherecke
Books’ Dream

Donnerstag - 4.10.2012
Book-Challenges

Freitag - 5.10.2012
Tintenhain
Xallaya

Sonntag - 7.10.2012
Let’s Talk About All + Nothing…
MERLINUNDPAULAS BüCHERWELT

Montag - 8.10.2012
Flyingwords

Dienstag -9.10.2012
Deborahs Bücherhimmel
KaDis kleine Bücherwelt

Mittwoch - 10.10.2012
Melanie Stoll // Volturi Blog


TOUR GIVEAWAY





Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Getting the Most from Beta Readers (Guest Post by BigAl)



What is the biggest difference between a book produced by an Indie author and one produced via traditional publishing?

As a reader, I think the answer should be, “no difference.” At least not a difference I’d detect from reading the book unless it is something I’d perceive as a positive, like being in a favorite genre underserved by traditional publishing.

An author would probably define the biggest difference as having to deal with everything that comes after writing the book through a combination of doing it himself or herself, hiring professionals, and recruiting volunteers to help. These steps include cover design, marketing, and several editing and proofing steps. Many authors, especially Indies, use beta readers as part of this process.

Defining what a beta reader does is problematic, because different authors use them in different ways and at different places in the process. A definition that fits most is that a beta reader is someone, typically an unpaid volunteer, who agrees to read a book at some point during the process of editing and polishing, and give the author feedback from the perspective of a reader. This feedback can be high level (“I hate the protagonist” or “I didn’t believe the premise of the story”), low level (“you’ve got a typo here” or “I don’t understand what you’re saying in this sentence”) or somewhere in between (this scene didn’t work for me or I felt like there was something missing in this part of the story). Ideally, an author will have multiple betas so that they’ll receive feedback from readers with different tastes and skills. In his Seven Tips for Writers, K.D. Rush mentions several areas where his beta readers have helped him.

I’ve been a beta reader for several authors who each use their beta reader teams in different ways. Imogen Rose, the author of two successful indie-published young adult paranormal series, has built a process that’s the best I’ve seen. The process begins with steps that are close to what you might see from a traditional publisher. Content editing (by a former editor for a New York publishing house), followed by copy-editing and multiple proofreads (also done by hired professionals). Last, a team of beta readers review the book and it receives a final round of proofreads. Rose says, “Putting my books through an intense scrutiny like that makes me feel confident that I am putting out a product I can be proud of.”

With the exception of the numerous rounds of proofreading, this process might sound like what many of you do. However, Rose adds two significant improvements to this basic template. The first is that her process is iterative. When a change is made later in the process, it goes back to the people who performed earlier roles for review. The skills and points of view of those with different roles (beta reader, author, and editor) mean that each are focused on different things. The iterative process insures that any changes seem correct based on each person’s focus.

The other difference is that, rather than working in isolation, Rose sets up a private Facebook group with herself, editors, proofreaders, beta readers, and others as members. This group serves several purposes. First, status updates on the process keep everyone informed and builds anticipation among the rest of the team. Second, by interacting with others involved rather than working in isolation, it gives everyone a sense of being part of a team, with all the positives of that. (If you don’t know what those positives are, thousands of business management books explain them in excruciating detail.) Last, and possibly most important, it gives a vehicle to discuss things someone isn’t sure about. If one of the beta readers feels a particular scene doesn’t work, but the author isn’t sure whether to change it or if the change she’s considering will do the trick, she’ll throw it out to the group for input. If a beta reader is unsure about a particular section, but can’t decide if it is “just her” or she is having difficulty articulating her concerns, she can ask the group what they think. Often someone else will respond, “I wondered about that too, but didn’t mention it.” Then everyone can discuss the section and together determine why it wasn’t working for them. Allirea Brumley, one of Rose’s long-time beta readers, feels this helps make “a better book, and makes the process a whole lot more fun … Imogen has this talent to make her team feel special. I think that makes the team want to do great work for her.”

Traditional publishers have to use a process that is clearly defined, generic, and that will work with multiple books in the pipeline at once. Indie authors can gain a competitive advantage by building and improving on the basic process. Innovative uses of beta readers are one of those improvements.


A version of this article first appeared on Indies Unlimited on 9/05/12. It is used here with the permission of the author, BigAl. 

About BigAl 
BigAl (who insists he only has one name, like Cher and Madonna) spends his days writing computer programs that are full of typos, homonym errors, and incorrect verb usage. During his evenings, he writes reviews of indie books for BigAl’s Books and Pals and has recently taken over The IndieView, a website founded by indie author Simon Royle as a resource for indie authors, indie reviewers, and those who read either.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Die Portal-Chroniken GOODREADS Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Die Portal-Chroniken — Portal by Imogen Rose

Die Portal-Chroniken — Portal

by Imogen Rose

Giveaway ends October 04, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win