Consolation Post!

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

I completely forgot that today was Friday. I intended to provide an update on my alpha readers (everyone is finished!) and my excitement over finding a cover design illustrator (I may have narrowed it down!), but I just plain old forgot to write the thing. That’s what excessive amounts of amazing food and relaxation will do to you.

Hope my fellow Americans are having a fantastic holiday weekend (and avoided the craziness of Black Friday shopping). We will return to our regularly scheduled programming on Sunday with the final NaNo 2016 edition of Haiku Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Steve D

Marketing Your Novel: Pay-Per-Click Advertising

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Publishing, Writers - Steve D'Adamo4 Comments

marketing-your-novel

Disclosure: I work for a marketing firm. While I have no formal education in marketing or business and would never claim to be an “expert”, working in online marketing for two companies over the last  four years has taught me a lot. This series will explore the marketing strategies I will use to promote my upcoming novel.

Today I’d like to discuss pay-per-click (PPC) advertising as a marketing strategy. PPC advertising is essentially paying another website or platform to host your advertisement for their audience to see. This type of marketing serves your content to a much larger audience than may otherwise be accessible through your blog, website, or even social media. When running a PPC campaign, you will “bid” for that ad space based on how much you want to pay for each time a random user clicks on your ad, hence pay-per-click. Continue reading “Marketing Your Novel: Pay-Per-Click Advertising” →

Moonlit Musing – Panic Attack Fodder

On By Jessie GutierrezIn Poetry, Writers - JessieLeave a comment

Desperation

Steady your breathing. In and out. In and out.
Hold onto the sound of the constant,
Focus only on this instant, on this inhale,
Freeze time inside, because it’s all you can do:
Steady your breathing. In and out. In and out. Continue reading “Moonlit Musing – Panic Attack Fodder” →

Haiku Sunday NaNo 2016 Edition: Everstrong

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Poetry, The Warden of Everfeld, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

“Everstrong”

Seeing from his Keep
the self-reliant Feldings.
Can he unite them?

Author’s Note: Emeril Everstrong is the first ever Falden of Everfeld. Most of the largest wards in Everfeld have supported Everstrong ever since he led the Felding militias to victory over the Redskael Clans at the Battle of Ever’s Edge, the decisive battle of the Second Redskael War. His quest is to unite the disparate Felding communities under one leader, but he has plenty of opposition. Can he hold the Felding wards together amidst internal rivalries and threats from outside Everfeld? If he wants to protect Everfeld, he may not have a choice.

Steve D

Friday Write-Day: Progress on the Non-Writing Front

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, The Warden of Everfeld, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

fwd-progress-non-writing-front

I have not made much progress at all this week… for NaNoWriMo. With less than 10,000 words written through 18 days, I think it’s safe to say I will not be hitting 50,000 words, or probably even 30,000.

One reason for the lack of progress on either WoEL or my mythology stories this week has been my general stressing over the details of publication. Up until I printed those manuscripts for The Warden of Everfeld: Memento, publication felt like a far-off dream, attainable yet just out of reach. Continue reading “Friday Write-Day: Progress on the Non-Writing Front” →

Color Schemes: Less Than Friend

On By Jessie GutierrezIn Poetry, Writers - JessieLeave a comment

Grey smoke trails spelling out disaster,
We circled around each other ever faster,
Ignoring warnings of whether
Or not, good could
Come of actions so callous.

I don’t know how we fell so far,
But I don’t think we’ll ever rise above it. Continue reading “Color Schemes: Less Than Friend” →

Writing Lesson #64: World-Building Offers Many Avenues of Storytelling — Use Them

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Creativity Sessions, The Warden of Everfeld, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

cs-thought-bubble

NaNo 2016 got off to a less-than-stellar start for me. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the shock induced by the presidential election, I was not focused on writing my second novel, The Warden of Everfeld: Legacy. Part of me feels like I’m jumping ahead too much, considering my first significant round of revisions looms for part one, The Warden of EVerfeld: Memento.

I tend to second-guess myself in such ways. The point is, I haven’t advanced WoEL much beyond the 5,000 words I covered over the first eight days or so. Instead of wallowing in my own thought process, I decided to change focus. Continue reading “Writing Lesson #64: World-Building Offers Many Avenues of Storytelling — Use Them” →

15 on the 15th: Maryland

On By Jessie GutierrezIn On Storytelling, Writers - JessieLeave a comment

Welcome to the Old Line State, where the music is almost as cool as the flag:

Good Charlotte – The Motivation Proclamation

I don’t care what anyone thinks about GC, they inspire all of the MD pride and nostalgia in me especially now that I no longer live there. Originally from Waldorf, they will always be first on my list. Continue reading “15 on the 15th: Maryland” →

Beautiful Juxtaposition – Avenged Sevenfold’s The Stage Pt. I

On By Jessie GutierrezIn Reviews, Writers - JessieLeave a comment

Our music reviews seek to trace the narratives that weave between songs and albums. Check out our Rhythmic Fiction tag for other stories told through music.

Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It has been six years since my last start to finish listen to a new Avenged Sevenfold album.

Confession time: I fell off the Avenged Sevenfold love boat years ago. I didn’t buy their last two albums; I bought a couple songs and figured ‘eh, I got the gist of it.’ After the passing of The Rev, well, things weren’t quite the same for a lot of us long-time fans. We were mourning and it’s hard to muster up anticipation in the face of tragedy. I couldn’t manage that same eager energy for them anymore. And yet, I still vividly remembered our early times together like freaking out the first time I saw ‘Unholy Confessions’ on MTV’s Headbangers Ball back in 2004. I was in high school. Continue reading “Beautiful Juxtaposition – Avenged Sevenfold’s The Stage Pt. I” →

Haiku Sunday NaNo 2016 Edition: Sacred Tree

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Poetry, The Warden of Everfeld, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

“Sacred Tree”

Towering above,
protecting the forest vast.
Vigilant keeper.

Author’s Note: The Fa’al’Írkesh, or Sacred Trees, of Everfeld are far mightier than any other type of tree in the coniferous forest. They are identified by grey bark and dark blue leaves that feel as tough as leather and are said to never wither, even when separated from their parent tree. According to legend, the Sacred Trees were created by the Life Mother Gó’Dan to protect and watch over Everfeld, helping to maintain balance and harmony in the vast forest.

Steve