Networking for Writers by Lizzie Chantree

October 29, 2020August 21, 2020 / paws4puzzles / 1 Comment

Hey folks, this is one for the other authors out there on my blog. I’m happy today to help spread the word about Lizzie Chantree super useful book NETWORKING FOR WRITERS.

Are you swamped with book marketing and looking for a way to find new sales? Learn simple and effective networking techniques, to grow your readership and connect with other authors and book lovers, today!

Whether you are a new or experienced writer, self-published or traditionally published, this book will show you how to grow your readership and author network, through some of the most powerful of all marketing tools – word of mouth and recommendation.

This book will show you:

How networking can help you sell more books.

Why author branding is important.

How networking hours work.

Specific Facebook groups for writers

How to utilise social media to grow your readership.

How not to waste valuable writing time.

How to make our marketing more effective.

Throughout Networking for Writers, we will explore running or attending book signings, hosting seminars, finding a writing buddy or mentor, author networking groups, social media planning and so much more.

Pick up your copy today!

About Lizzie Chantree

International bestselling author and award-winning inventor, Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were little and now works as a business mentor and runs a popular networking hour on social media, where creatives can support to each other. She writes books full of friendship and laughter, that are about women with unusual and adventurous businesses, who are far stronger than they realise. She lives with her family on the coast in Essex. Visit her website at http://www.lizziechantree.com or follow her on Twitter @Lizzie_Chantreehttps://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree.

Book links: Lizzie Chantree.

Universal book buy link: Networking for writers: viewbook.at/NetworkingForWriters

Universal book buy link: If you love me, I’m yours: viewbook.at/IfYouLoveMe-ImYours

Universal book buy link: Ninja School Mum: viewBook.at/NinjaSchoolMum

Universal book buy link: Babe Driven: viewbook.at/BabeDriven

Universal book buy link: Love’s Child: viewBook.at/Amazon-LovesChild

Universal book buy link: Finding Gina: viewbook.at/FindingGina

Social media links:

Website: www.lizziechantree.com

Author page: https://www.viewAuthor.at/LizzieChantree

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizzieChantree/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7391757.Lizzie_Chantree

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzie_chantree/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/LizzieChantree/pins/

FB Groups: https://www.facebook.com/groups/647115202160536/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lizzie-chantree

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzie-chantree-03006425/

The Legend of Jhara

June 19, 2020June 17, 2020 / paws4puzzles / 3 Comments

In a village far away there lived a man called Aviano. Aviano was a merchant. He sold birds in silver cages. The birds came to him through magic. He beguiled them with promises and then trapped them in the cages. He imbued the bars of the cages with magic, so that the birds could only be set free by one who passed him silver. The magic was flawed though and sometimes he caught creatures in his cages that were not truly birds.

Once, for example, the raven he had beguiled turned out to be magician who took on a raven’s form. He was rescued by a young girl who was punished for her deed. The punishment was immortality. The curse to live through the centuries and never be at peace. That curse, from what I hear, was recently broken, and another who is more suited for the task has taken the girl’s place.

But I digress. One day Aviano bit off a little more than he could chew. He captured a fairy called Argentia. He thought that the fairy would make a fine prize and that he would sell it for a thousand silver pieces, especially as she herself was the color of silver. This fairy however, was far more than she seemed. As she sat in the cage, she didn’t stress but rather she plotted. Plotted to destroy the bird man. For that though she would need silver, lots of silver.

She watched while Aviano sold his flock that day. He did a roaring trade and she counted seventeen birds leaving in their gilded cages with their new owners. The Bird Man’s pouch where he kept the silver became heavier and heavier.

That night while he slept, he rested the pouch at the foot of his bed, but he was careless and didn’t complete the ward spells he normally put in place before he slept. Maybe it was the goblet of oogleberry wine that somehow had found its place on his bedside table. Who knows? But in any case he entered the world of sleep without proper protection.

That night Argentia was released by a girl with chestnut hair. She thanked the girl, but did not leave immediately. Instead she fluttered into Aviano’s cabin and used a spell to exchange his silver coins with rocks. And so she was able to filch every last one before she took her liberty.

She chuckled at the thought of Aviano carrying around the pouch of rocks the next day. He did this for hours until hunger sent him into the village in search of a meal at the inn. He ordered a fine feast and opened his pouch to pay.

“What is this?” demanded the innkeeper. “I’m sorry but I do not take this currency. Come back when you have silver.”

Aviano looked down at the rocks. How had this happened? He marched over to the witch, Grisela’s cottage. She must have something to do with this. But she just shrugged when she saw the rocks. “Why are showing these to me?” she asked.

“I thought maybe … as you sell stones you might want these. They are worth a lot of silver.”

“No, they are not. They are merely common rocks you could find on the ground anywhere in the village. Take them away.”

That night Aviano wept. His fortune—he had lost his fortune. But that was not all Argentia had planned for him, though perhaps that is where she should have stopped. But the silver fairy never did anything by half measures, and the spell was only half complete. The stolen silver had a purpose. With it Argentia fashioned Jhara, an artifact so powerful that it could devastate not only its target but all its surroundings.

That of course had not been the plan. Argentia wanted a precision weapon. She wanted to take out Aviano so that he could no longer trap the birds. It did not work. The fairy and the Bird Man wrestled and in the struggle a portal of silver opened into our world and the storm was flung through it.

The other side of that fateful portal was in the bay of New Orleans and the storm that was released would be remembered not by the name of Jhara but by another name—Katrina.

Argentia watched the devastation, the destruction of thousands of innocent lives and wept. She found the weather mage, Latisha Watts, to help, but her help came too late. Together though they formulated a plan to trap Jhara into an artifact and send it away. Argentia initially wanted to destroy the storm, but Latisha understood that that was not possible. That with its destruction it would take much of America with it.

So instead they coaxed it into the artifact with a promise that one day it would have a worthy target. The artifact was taken by hand to St. Louis, or rather by flipper, as Latisha transformed into her dolphin form for the journey and swam up the Mississippi with the artifact embedded in her flipper. Jessamyn met her and took Jhara from her and concealed it in illusion in her chamber where it sits to this day.

So Jhara was safe or at least they thought she was.

But Jessamyn would very rarely check her hoard, and she trusted her students. That would prove the fatal mistake.

——————————————————————————————————

London Calling – A Charity Anthology

December 6, 2017 / paws4puzzles / Leave a comment

It’s London week for me. Tomorrow is the official release day of book 4 of my P.A.W.S. Saga – LONDINIUM, (Join the FB release party tomorrow for oodles of authors, books and prizes)

But today I’m excited to announce another release. I have a story in this charity collection, LONDON CALLING.

Quill & Ink PR’s charity anthology London Calling is LIVE!!!
One click your copy today while it’s 99c before the price is increased to $2.99!

All proceeds go to #LitWorld where your purchase will help strengthen kids and communities through stories!

Available now on Amazon ➞ http://amzn.to/2jKQUHw
Add to your TBR ➞ https://goo.gl/9ETk1b

Join the release party – I’ll be hanging out there this evening

Join Quill & Ink in a multi-genre exploration of London. Within these pages, we fall in love, go back in time, sit on the edge of our seats with sweaty palms and racing hearts, and even solve some mysteries—all in support of LitWorld, a charity tackling worldwide illiteracy.

Featuring
Slings & Arrows by Sarah Buhrman
Ring Me by C.L. Cannon
Postcards from London by Rebekah Dodson
Ripping the Sheets by Shakyra Dunn
Mistaken Identity by Stacey Johnston
My Partner, The Brit by Jessika Klide
The Life and Death of George Weeks by Debbie Manber Kupfer
The Cave by Claire Lalique
Destination Wedding by Lily Ryan

Please note that some of these stories contain adult content.

#LondonCalling #QuillinkPR

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The Importance of Proofreading

November 12, 2016November 12, 2016 / paws4puzzles / 1 Comment

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As some folks here know I’m in the process of republishing the second book in my series, Argentum. I wrote this book three years ago starting with the first draft during NaNoWriMo of 2013. I polished it and self-edited it, sent it out to beta readers, and edited it again. Then it went to my publisher at the time who edited it and sent it back to me for proofreading. I proofread, found errors that were corrected and it was published.

During the years it was published by the small press several friends found more errors that I made note of and when I got my rights back I fixed. I went over the whole thing again myself and then hired a professional proofreader who still found tons of errors! Fixed them all, read it again and sent off for a paper proof.

This week I’ve been sitting with the paperback copy reading it yet again (I know my story backwards and forwards by now, but amazingly I still like it.) And guess what? I’M STILL FINDING ERRORS!!!!

So folks remember this – it’s a process. Never assume because a professional editor has been through your work that you don’t have to check it. Check it, check it again and keep checking it and eventually you’ll get an (almost) perfect copy!

Also if you’re looking for an editor or proofreader, I do that too. Check out the Editing and Proofreading tab on the top of the page.

And remember to preorder the brand new (hopefully error free) version of Argentum releasing on December 1st.

Virtual Fantasy Con – Renee Scattergood

September 27, 2016September 25, 2016 / paws4puzzles / Leave a comment

Introducing Virtual Fantasy Con. This October I along with some awesome fantasy authors from around the globe will be participating in a Virtual Fantasy Con. The Con will include themed days in different sub-genres with panels, games, giveaways, interviews, awards, and more. To get the ball rolling this week I’m part of a Fantasy Blog Tour – check out this link for a list of all the participating blogs. And here is Paws4Thought’s contribution to the tour – a guest post on fantasy world building from Shadow Stalker author Renee Scattergood.

world-building-simplified

Simplifying the World Building Process

By Renee Scattergood

When I first began publishing my Shadow Stalker serial, the idea of World Building seemed so intimidating and well, almost impossible. There’s so much to it that when I researched it, the whole concept overwhelmed me. So I started writing without worrying about the world building too much. I just kept it in the back of my mind while writing the first draft and figured I’d work it out during the editing process.

Oddly, since I had been creating this world in my head for years before I started writing, it seemed there was little I needed to do. It happened naturally. Now I’m beginning a new series, A God’s Deception, in a new world, and I’m realizing I can’t fall back on that with this one.

To keep from getting overwhelmed with the process, I’m simplifying it. First, instead of trying to come up with everything right from the start, I’m going to do exactly what I do with my characters. When I create a new character, I come up with the basics to get the story started, but I let the character develop naturally as I write. Anytime something new comes up, I add it to my notes on the character so I can refer back to it later and prevent contradicting myself.

So far, I know I want my new story to take place on another world. It’s going to have two different religions. One is a monotheistic religion and the other polytheistic. I also know the political system is going to be based on the polytheistic religion. So I know I have to work out the basics of the world, the two religious orders, and the politics surrounding them, but things like money, technology, and more specific details will develop as the story does.

Any author who is feeling intimidated by the world building process of their story might benefit from simplifying it in this way as well. It takes the pressure of having to figure it all out from the start and allows the world to develop more naturally, which, in my opinion, makes it feel more authentic.

Vote for Renee, Shadowstalker, me, P.A.W.S., and all of your other indie fantasy favorites at the Virtual Fantasy Con Awards.

Also P.A.W.S. is on sale this week for just 99 cents. Pick up your copy today!

Sibling of the World Award

November 3, 2015 / paws4puzzles / 2 Comments

Sibling of the World Award

A big thank you to Mike Wolff for nominating me.

Here are my answers:

Orange or Green…Why?

Orange, because it was my favorite color when I was a kid (although I prefer purple these days.)

Paper or Plastic…Why?

In reality a mixture of paper, plastic, and reusable bags (when I remember to bring them). It really depends on the store. Our main supermarket’s paper bags don’t have handles and as I often walk home from the store, that doesn’t really work.

Fantasy, Science Fiction or Horror…Why?

Mostly fantasy (both to read and write) because I love losing myself in a magic world. I do read a fair bit of sci-fi too though and I’m the editor of two horror anthologies (Sins of the Past and Sins of the Future), so there’s that, though generally is not my preferred genre for reading.

If you had to describe your writing style as an animal, what would it be?

A cat of course. Seriously yes – I’m a discovery writer and truly if a cat a wrote a book I think it would write it this way.

If you could chose a super power to have, what would it be and why?

I want Mary Poppins power – to snap my fingers and make the house clean itself so that I have more time for my writing and my puzzles.

Who is your favorite literary character and why?

Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I read the book over and over as a kid and often used to visit Wonderland in my games. (It’s also Miri’s favorite childhood book in P.A.W.S.)

What is your favorite sandwich?

Grilled cheese with mushrooms.

A fairy, a robot and a zombie walk into a bar…what happens next?

The barmen looks at them and says “is this some kind of joke?”

How many books to you read a year…roughly?

On average one every couple of weeks, so 21.

Social Media: a great tool for the Indie Artist or a hindrance to creation?

Can be a great tool, but it’s also really easy to get sucked in. That’s why I like to take my puzzle work out to cafes to work on – no internet to distract me. (I don’t have a smart phone and want to keep it that way!)

The official rules of this award are: