Author Heather McCorkle

Today’s tip is inspired by this week’s #WritersRoad chat. Our topic was being a good critique partner. This can end up being so much harder than it sounds. Those of you who are in, or have been in, critique groups know what I mean. It was a great chat filled with a lot of good advice. Tip: Be the kind of critique partner or beta reader that you expect others to be. I’ll add to this though, be respectful, mention what worked, what you liked, and don’t try to force your ideas of what needs to be done or changed onto the author. If you expect others not to hold back, understand that others may not be open to this kind of critiquing. The safest thing to do is to get to know the writer first, ask about their expectations, and respect them.

Last week I finished reading Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper and I loved it! It isn't often that a book stands out this much for me and when it does I've got to give it a shout out. And I've been shouting out about this book everywhere I can. Karen will change the way you think about mermaids and will forever alter the way you look at the ocean. I truly think with this novel she could very well do for mermaids what Stephanie Meyer did for vampires. But the only way for that to happen is for everyone to read it and recommend it. So quick, go get your copy on Amazon , B&N , The Book Depository , or anywhere books are sold. Your muse will thank you.

In between editing and cover designing I spent last week preparing to enter the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. I went back and forth on whether or not to enter for a while. I love being indie and having my own press and that won't change. However, a bit of traditional success and marketing for a different novel sure wouldn't hurt either. The best of both worlds, so to speak, one feeding the other.  For those who don't know, ABNA is a free contest with a great opportunity. There are two winners, adult fiction, and young adult. Each gets a $15,000 advance and contract with the big six publisher Penguin. If you're wondering whether or not to enter, you should! But do it quick, there are a limited amount of spots and they fill up fast.  But beware, the competition if extremely fierce. There are some outstanding writers entering. Your manuscript should be highly polished as well as your pitch because you'll need both. This first round is on the pitch al...

Today’s teaser is from my channeler novella, Born Of Fire : The anxiety stirred not only her power awake, but her unborn son’s as well. It spread throughout her body in a rush that was almost scalding. She gasped for breath as she struggled to bring it under control. Born Of Fire is the story of the night Aiden was born. Fans of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll who want to know more about the leading man are in for a special treat with this one. And for those who haven’t read either yet, Born Of Fire will give you a good taste of the series. The novella is free right now on Smashwords ,  but hurry, it will go up to .99 cents next week! Your turn, got a teaser for me?

My inspiration this last week has been coming up with my post for the Rebel Writer’s Pledge. The pledge is the brain child of SA Larsen, writer and all around fabulous lady. It is a way for us writers to declare out goals, cheer each other on, keep hope alive, and keep one another on track. And it’s a blog hop! We have to list our writing/life goals and highlight one to add to the main pledge page. For each writer goal I’m putting a personal goal as well. Here they are: Rebel Writer Pledge 2012 #1 Writer: I pledge to support my fellow writers and authors as much as possible by buying and reading my author friends’ books and by helping my writer friends on the Monday night #WritersRoad chat. Personal: I pledge to spend as much time with my husband as I do with my writing, and to talk to my sister and mother more often. #2 Writer: I pledge to meet my deadlines for my press, turning in two more books this year. Personal: I pledge to exercise at least ½ an hour five days a week. ...

Last week my goal was to start writing a new ending for my third book. My muse finally came out of hiding and I got a great start on it. I'm so excited about how this series is coming together. It's turning out so much better than my original vision for it was. How about you? Did you achieve your writing goals for last week? How are you doing on staying motivated in the new year? On a side note, congratulations to Amy Del Rosso who won a copy of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll during the Indelibles Book Blogger chat! If you're stopping by Amy leave me a comment with a way to get a hold of you.

With the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest fast approaching and submission season back in full swing, I felt compelled to give a writing tip about submitting and conferencing. First you must write an excellent book, of course, but the key after that is to be prepared. Tip: When attending conferences or submitting, come prepared. Bring a well polished query letter, synopsis, and up to the first fifty pages of your manuscript (though ten is usually enough). Bonus tip, when going to agent or editor meetings, bring a notepad and take notes based off what they say. Just be sure to stay engaged and make eye-contact periodically.  How about you, any writing tips to share that are related to submitting or conference going?

This week I'd like to celebrate the new release of a novel by one of my favorite authors who also happens to be one of my favorite people. Sorry, I don't have a cover photo for you today, that's coming Wednesday, but I couldn't wait to celebrate! Please welcome S.R. Johannes! S.R.'s new book, On The Bright Side, is a hilarious road to guardian angeldom paved with so much drama and due-paying that it makes middle school look painless.  As if the devil’s food cake at her wake and the white fat pants she’s stuck wearing for eternity weren’t bad enough, fourteen year-old Gabby is quick to discover that Cirrus, the main rung of Heaven, is a far cry from the Pearly Gates. Here, Skyphones and InnerNets are all the rage. Until Gabby finds out she has to protect Angela, her school nemesis, in order to move up through the training levels of heaven. Problem is, Angela is now hitting on Gabby's should-have-been boyfriend.  Thanks so much for joining us! So S.R., w...

Today's creature feature has been postponed so that I can announce the winners of the massive Indelibles launch contest. For those who missed it, I've joined a fabulous group of author called the Indelibles and for our launch we gave away a Kindle Fire and eBooks of our novels to the winner. And each of us also did a separate giveaway on our own blogs. First, in case you haven't checked the Indelibles blog yet, the grand prize winner of the Kindle Fire and a copy of one of the titles from all of the Indelibles is: Chris Fenimore Huge congratulations to Chris, I hope you enjoy your new Kindle Fire and all of our books! And now for the winner of the eBook of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll:  Celina Ortiz Congratulations to Celina! I hope you enjoy The Secret Of Spruce Knoll. Let me know if you have a Kindle or a Nook and I'll get that gifted to you right away! Thank you so much to everyone who participated and a big welcome to all my new followers. I hope you...

For those of you who don't know, I've been working on a short story for an anthology, and I finally finished it! I'm absolutely psyched and can't wait to share this one with all of you. The Indelibles and I are putting together an anthology from the eyes of one of our male characters. Many of you Spruce Knoll fans will be excited to know that my short story is told from Fane's point of view. I loved getting inside his head and I hope you will too. The anthology, In His Eyes , releases February 14th and it will be free as long as we can get the big corporations to cooperate! How about you, did you achieve your goals for last week? What are they for this week?

Since I'm late, I'll cut to the chase. First, the winner of my birthday celebration giveaway is: Angela Brown Congratulations Angela! You've won a signed paperback of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll. I've sent you an email and as soon as I hear back from you I'll get that off to you! Today's teaser is from Born Of Fire (A Channeler Novella) which is now available FREE through Smashwords and Wattpad (and hopefully soon through Amazon , they're currently charging .99 cents but I've advised them it's free elsewhere and asked them to drop the price): Her head hit the headrest as the force of acceleration sucked her back into her seat. The engine of the Subaru whined in protest as Kevan struggled to keep it between the lines of the road. The speedometer needle bounced above ninety-five and kept going as the Subaru hugged the curves. Your turn! Do you have a teaser to share from your current work, or a novel of yours?

My muse this last week, and several more before that honestly, have been a fantastic new group of authors that I've joined, the Indelibles! Who are the Indelibles? “We are indie authors who write middle grade and young adult fiction. We are dedicated to leaving a permanent mark on the world with our stories and words. We are The Indelibles.” Each week, we'll explore fun, fabulous, and fierce topics for today's teens, drawing on pop culture and themes from the books we write. We're going to be doing a massive contest for our launch~which is today!~and one lucky winner and follower of the Indelibles blog will win a Kindle Fire . Yes, really!  We'll also be having a "Blogger chat" on January 11th and a writer/author chat on the 18th to answer questions about self and indie pubbing. See our blog for details. For my portion of the launch celebration I'll be giving away an eBook of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll to one person who comments ...

I did not make my Wednesday writing goal for last week. *hangs head in shame* With all the beta reading I've been doing I just can't keep up with my goals for my own work. But I desperately love doing both and don't want to give either up! That's it, the 'day' job has just got to go. LOL! Don't I wish! The good news is, I'm very close to making my goal so on that note, I'm off to work as hard as I can on it before going off to the time-consuming soul-sucking abyss, I mean 'day' job. ;) How about you? Did you reach your writing goals for last week?

As the new year get's into full swing I'm reminded to throw out the old and bring in the new. There is a lot of that to do in writing; editing, habits, stories that need to be retired or started, that kind of thing. One habit I will not be throwing out though is paying it forward. While it may or may not contribute to one's success, I feel that paying it forward is a vital part of any business, but even more so in the publishing industry. We are all in this together and we must support one another. Writing Tip: Support your fellow writers and authors. Beta read for someone, join a critique group, buy books, talk about the books you love to support the authors. Tonight at 7:00pm PT I'm hosting a live chat with the fabulous author Denise Grover Swank over at the Indie Elite blog . If you haven't read her books yet you're missing out. Her adult paranormal novel, Chosen, was one of my favorite books of 2011. I hope you'll stop by to help me support this won...

Happy New Year! My muse for last week was from the wonderful Susan Kaye Quinn who supports excellent authors and put together this fantastic Indie Book Fair. If you're looking for an excellent book, look no further. Did you find a new Kindle, Nook, or iPad under the Christmas tree? Browse the Indie Book Fair and find a new ebook to break in that reader! These great new books were released Nov 2011-Feb 2012 by Indie authors, priced right so that taking a chance on a new author doesn’t have to break your wallet. (Check out my previous Internet Book Fair for other great Indie finds.) [Indie = self-published or small-publisher, for the purposes of this post, because no matter how we’re published , we’re all in this together, trying to get the word out about our books] Note: Links are given for Amazon, but most authors publish across all e-book formats. Click on the author’s name for additional purchasing options, including paper copies. For Your Browsing Pleasure ...