Monday, September 30, 2013

Author Pages at Amazon



Here it is Monday morning and I'm sitting at my computer all jazzed about my new author page on Amazon. I decided to go visit it like any old joe would, and had a kick seeing it all put together. But then I noticed something I wanted to change and discovered it wasn't as easy finding it a second time as an author. Of course, that's probably because I write under my maiden name, but my legal name (and my amazon account) are different. But no big deal. I got it sorted out.

Why am I telling you my dear diary story? Because as authors, we need to avail ourselves of every platform that is open to us and Amazon offers this great page for free. I noticed that not all authors that I looked at had an author page. The more famous ones did, but if you are wanting to expand your horizons and don't have an author page at Amazon, here is an opportunity for you to get on board. Check it out!

Go to Amazon's author central HERE and sign up.

My author page is HERE or https://www.amazon.com/author/karenelizabethbrown

Enjoy the rest of the day and keep writing!

Saturday, September 28, 2013

What's The Point?






Have you ever found yourself questioning what you're writing and why? It's been a long, hard haul writing my fantasy Dragon Stone series. I've been getting the first book Call of the Dragon edited and ready for publication, and I'm at the point where I'm questioning my motives for writing this series. Is it purely entertainment? Why did I write this book?

I find when I answer these questions I can say that I wrote this series because I had fun with the story. Sure, I've battled out the dry periods and found it was work trying to make all three books fit together, but all in all, I stuck to my motto: If you aren't having fun, you should change what you're doing.

I have to define fun in my terms: It means doing something that creates a challenge for me and at the same time leaves a lasting impression on the people around me. In the first book, Call of the Dragon, the protagonist is told: If you choose an action, it will become a link in your destiny. That means my foot will step into new realms when I write these stories. And who knows where they will take me? I enjoy creating these characters and the worlds they live in. And I grow a little more each time I put pen to paper.

So what's the point? Some of the time I find myself being very critical of my writing and I want to hit the delete button. I think that perhaps I should take up origami. But that's called having an inner critic. Most of the time my critic is a good thing. But there are those days when I don't see anything good coming out of the scribblings I make. And then I get a book in the mail with my story published in it. That's the point! It all becomes worthwhile again and I'm able to put my shoulder to the wheel and start working on making compelling exposition again.

So what about you? What questions have you been asking yourself?

Saturday, September 21, 2013

New Title: The Mammoth Book of ER Romance






Introducing this new title edited by Trisha Telep. It contains a collection of stories by romance authors, including my own short story Night Shift. This edition is available in print at Amazon today. So, for all you readers who enjoy the cross between medicine and romance, this book is a real find!

This modern collection presents thrilling tales of romantic suspense set in the emergency room and hospital, all with an invigorating injection of edgy modern romance. Contributors include Jacqueline Diamond, Dianne Drake, Fiona Lowe, Janice Lynn, Wendy S. Marcus, and many more! Perfect for fans of contemporary medical shows who just can’t get enough of drama-filled hospital room romance!

Friday, September 20, 2013

Coming Soon!



I'm excited to announce that Call of the Dragon, Book 1: Dragon Stone Trilogy is coming to fruition. I will be revealing the cover soon, which is being created as I write this.

This trilogy has been a challenge for me, since its story is intertwined around an antagonist that travels through different timelines trying to achieve his goal. Keeping the story on an even keel, without upsetting its balance, was the hardest part. Each story has a different protagonist who live in a different time, but our antagonist manages to pull each part into a whole by using his dragon stone amulet. As the story progresses, the characters manage to overcome incredible odds trying to defeat the evil mage.


Call of the Dragon
Book 1
Dragon Stone Trilogy


The King is dead. But before the prince is crowned King of Mar, a plot is uncovered that reveals the worst kind of treachery and deceit. The prince has been abducted so an impostor can sit on the throne. The baker’s son, a lowborn commoner, is chosen by a dragon to rescue the true prince of Mar and return him to his rightful place on the throne. However, before he can do this, he must retrieve the crystal of truth, stolen from the royal crown and replaced with a fake. Plus, he is faced with realizing his true identity. Will there be enough time before the coronation to fight a battle with Wyvern and find a riddle complex enough to stump an angry faerie? After all is done, will he be strong enough to resist the pull of the dark magic offered by the master mage? It all ends in a conundrum that intrigues the imagination.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

New News In Audiobooks!






M. Pax has gone and done it! The Backworlds series has gone live on audio at Audible.com. I've enjoyed her books and am waiting for the next one, Beyond the Edge, to appear in October. Maybe while I'm waiting, I'll check out an audio book and try it on for size.

M. Pax's website can be found by clicking HERE, where you can see all of her available books. She has a writing style that is cutting edge and worth your time.

Meanwhile, are there other new audio books out there that you can recommend? Let's hear it!

Monday, September 16, 2013

An Overwhelming Fact Of Modern Publishing...



I wrote this yesterday, after trying to read a new fiction novel and giving up.

So I dropped into Twitter to see what was happening today and I was overwhelmed by books about zombies, dates from hell and the continuing rant about the conspiracy theory. Am I missing something here? Or has the publishing industry, including a large portion of indie books, gone absolutely mad?

There was a time when boy met girl and they found a relationship surrounding some interesting side effect, and it was called good. Now, in this new generation of bangers, hipsters and general Gothic low-lifes, it's considered punk if you write about girly vampires living in mainstream society, holding down jobs and killing half the population off by the end of the book.

Forgive my rant if you like these books. I'd like them too if I could wrap my head around the story of one. So far, the books I've read recently, were Star Trek re-visited, with the names changed, except they used warp drive and beaming, to boot. Plus, the editing was so bad, the only thing that held the story together was a good old fashioned love story in disguise.

What's going to happen in this next generation of indie authors? They will be responsible for a revolution in book publishing. If they can't bring the whale back to the boat, we'll be stuck with a generation of hellboys and zombies rising from the dead, that become mainstream fiction. Is this where our future lies? Witches, warlocks and all the rest? If so, the reading level of the next generation will be plummeting to a new low.

Enough said about my opinion. Have you read any good books recently?

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

New Title For Everyone To Check Out!

For those of you who want to learn how to structure your novel into a more exciting and well paced manuscript, you might like to check out K. M. Weiland's Structuring Your Novel.

I bought this book from Amazon.com for $2.99 (Kindle edition) just a few days ago and already I'm finding better ways to add to the outline I've been creating for my latest story.

Not only does Ms. Weiland teach you about plot points and where to put them, she explores the entire structure of the novel, using famous titles as examples. So far, I've been able to learn from these examples and am able to see where my own plot points need to be.

But that's not all she offers. Since I'm not finished with the book, I can't say how the rest of her book plays out. If it's as good as the first part, I expect to learn some valuable key points. The main thing I've taken away so far is that these are suggestions that can help turn your book into an excellent manuscript. I'm all for that!

I hope you check out this title! Enjoy your writing!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Excerpt: The Chameleon Effect # 18

I'm presenting The Chameleon Effect for your reading enjoyment. Unfortunately, the summary is getting too long to add all the details. After this episode, I may start a new page so you can read as much as you want, when you want. Depending on reader interest, of course. Enjoy the story!

Chavez works for The Agency and has been assigned to rescue Kira Rostropovich and return her to Vega Minor, where she resides with her parents. After being in prison and being 'bought' by Chavez in an auction, Kira is not happy about being searched by Chavez. But he finds a tracking device on her right before a mercenary, Captain Maddeson, finds them and demands that Kira be turned over to him. Chavez immediately makes a sudden jump across the galaxy, much to Kira's surprise! Kira continues to have nightmares and is haunted by the fact that her life is in danger. She demands to go back to Prison Planet 452, but Chavez has someone to add to his crew complement first.
Kira's dream keeps coming back. Is it a warning? All she knows is that her destiny lies intertwined with the prison planet. Will Chavez understand? It is six hours away from rendezvousing with Dr. Winters, who will attempt to help Kira with her problems. But Captain Maddeson is on an intercept course to capture them and return them to the warden. Will they escape? Dr. Winters has diagnosed Kira with the Chameleon Effect and in an attempt to halt its progress, he will use Chavez's DNA. But Kira has other plans and escapes off Chavez's ship, without a word to anyone. Chavez decides to go after her. Kira remembers that her sister is being held hostage and she must return to the prison planet in order to barter for her freedom. But before she can get there, she is captured by Captain Maddeson, who is demanding payment for her return to the warden. While she was fleeing, Chavez fights off an Orgarian boarding party who shoot Dr. Winters. He urges Chavez to go after Kira before he dies. Captain Maddeson has captured Kira and is planning on turning her over to the warden. Chavez is devastated and goes against Agency urging to wait for reinforcements. Is he becoming a renegade? But before he can attack the warden, Kira escapes the planet with her sister, and she's looking for Chavez.




Kira set an intercept course for Chavez’s ship. Her shuttle was originally from an Orgarian ship, so she would have to convince Chavez that she was not hostile. She opened a channel to his ship, but he didn’t answer. Kira began to get worried. What had happened to Chavez and Dr. Winters after she left? She tried the channel again.
“Chavez, if you can hear me, it’s Kira. I need your help. Please allow me to dock my shuttle and come aboard.”
Chavez finally answered. “Kira? Is that really you? Are you all right?” Kira thought his voice sounded muffled and slightly garbled.
When Chavez appeared onscreen, Kira was shocked by his appearance. His face and lips were swollen and purple bruises dotted his eyes and brow line. She now knew why he sounded so different. He had been beaten so badly that it was difficult for him to talk.
“What happened to you?” She said as soon as his plight registered to her.
Demishia let out a startled gasp beside Kira. “I know what happened. I’ve seen it a thousand times over the years I’ve been here.”
Chavez stared at Kira’s echo in the woman sitting beside her. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“This is my sister, Demishia. She was kidnapped when she was three years old. The warden has been doing chromosome experiments on her all this time. She’s dying and I don’t know where else to turn. Can Dr. Winters help me, please? I know I’ve spent a lot of time running away from you, but it was to get back to the planet and get my sister. It’s a long story and I’ll explain it all to you, now that I have my memory back.”
Chavez didn’t wait to answer. “Dock your ship. We need to talk.”

After they were docked, Chavez led Kira and Demishia to the garden on level one across from the engine room. It was the best place he could think of where they could relax and talk. He could see the distress on Kira’s face about her sister, but he had news of his own that would add to the problem. Before he could talk, Kira looked around, concern on her face.
“Where’s Dr. Winters? I need of him.” Her eyes glanced over to Demishia and then settled on Chavez.
Chavez’s jawline tightened as his muscles clenched and he took a deep breath. “Dr. Winters is dead. He was killed by Orgarian mercenaries while he was trying to protect me.”
Kira’s face fell and she expelled all her air. “What am I going to do? Demishia is in a desperate condition. She’s the product of their failed experiments and now the warden has turned her loose so she can go die somewhere else.” Kira’s eye’s flashed hot and her hands clenched shut.
But Demishia turned to her. “It’s alright Kira, at least we’re together. I’ve been dreaming about this day all my life.”
Kira shook her head. “No, it’s not alright!”
Chavez waved a hand in the air. “Let me speak, okay?”
There was a pause where the only sound was the bubbling of water from the fountain among the ferns. Chavez waited a moment longer, trying to decide how to explain his dilemma.
“Dr. Winters managed to make one dose of an antidote. It needed to be administered within a certain amount of time to have the full effect and the time is up.  Now, it will only stop the chameleon effect, but won’t reverse it. The problem is, it was made for Kira, not the failed experiments Demishia had. I recommend that it be given to you, Kira, since that’s who it was made for. Then we can take Demishia to another geneticist, along with Dr. Winters’s notes.”
“There’s no time to wait.” Kira said, “My sister is weak and dying. Give it to her, even if it doesn’t have the full effect, maybe it will help some.”
But Demishia shook her head. “Absolutely not! It was made for you and that is who’s going to get it.”
“Sorry, I won’t let him give it to me.” Kira announced.
“Okay, hold up the arguing. It was bad enough with one Rostropov on board. Now I’ve got two hard heads. Listen, if I have to, I’ll play Solomon and split the baby in half! So decide amongst yourselves. You have one hour.” Chavez sauntered out of the garden and left the girls alone. He had to get back to the bridge. They were in hostile territory and he wasn’t about to be boarded again.

To be continued...

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

IWSG Two Year Anniversary






Today is Insecure Writer's Support Group's two year anniversary! The group is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh and you can visit his blog HERE. If you are interested in becoming a participant in  this group, the sign up list is HERE.

September’s co-hosts are:
Joylene Nowell Butler http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com/

I've met a lot of wonderful people who are members of IWSG and on the first Wednesday of each month we post. The list of members is available each time so you can visit others who have joined.

New news: I sent off a query letter to an agent last week. That's a first for me, since I've been self publishing for the last year. I needed to explore my options before releasing my next story, Call of the Dragon: A Dragon Stone Trilogy Book 1. Self publishing has had many advantages for me, but I would like to see if my book could possibly get published non-indie. We shall see. Until recently, I wouldn't have had the courage to query an agent, but I'm growing and learning as I go.

Where are you in your evolution as a writer? What are your goals and how are you realizing them?

"Perhaps it is just as well to be rash and foolish for a while. If writers were too wise, perhaps no books would get written at all. It might be better to ask yourself 'Why?' afterward than before. Anyway, the force of somewhere in space which commands you to write in the first place, gives you no choice. You take up the pen when you are told and write what is commanded. There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you."
~Zora Neale Hurston from Dust Tracks On A Road~