Though this is no substitute for human eyes, the book cover checker is kind of a fun tool. In their own words, the book cover checker is looking at contrast and sharpness, not at composition, or whether the cover fits your book, etc. It’s an algorithm. However, as I said, it’s pretty fun. I ran several of mine through (both my books and some I made for others) and got the GOOD rating. The most interesting part, I think, is that it also identifies the most used color in the cover (useful for matching backgrounds etc. for promotions). It’s not always what you think it is!
Easy to use, input an email address, upload your image, then scroll down a little for the result. I see it is now also looking for offensive content that some publishers won’t allow, so that’s interesting.
Anyway, thought I’d share! You can check it out here:
Grant Butler, author of Heroin Heiress has been kind enough to stop in for an interview today!
Jo: Welcome, Grant! Thanks for stopping in. Please tell us a little something about your book?
Grant: The Heroin Heiress is my debut novel and I couldn’t be more happy this is my first novel.
J: That is awesome! What inspired you to write it?
G: The book started out as a story I posted online. Once I posted it, I thought that would be the end of it and didn’t give what came next a second thought. I had no idea it would get anywhere near the attention it did. Seeing the passionate responses and debates people were having over it made me think more in depth about the story. The book is the result of that.
J: That’s really cool. I love when books have an organic creation story like that. What was your favorite part of writing Heroin Heiress?
G: It was great seeing people discover the story and being so engaged. I also enjoyed getting to know the characters and flushing them out as people.
J: That always my favorite part, too. What was your least favorite part?
G: By far the hardest part of the book was figuring out what the main character did for work. I had to think about it for quite some time, but when the answer came it made perfect sense.
J: That was an unexpected answer, but I like how much thought you put into it. Do you have a favorite character? Why are they your favorite?
G: Mrs. Arlington. It was a pleasure spending time with her and getting to know her. She’s someone I would love to spend time with in real life.
Jo: That’s really cool! What do you have planned next?
G: I’m working on another book that is set in the same universe and shares the setting, but is with a completely new set of characters and a brand new plot. I’m very excited about it.
Jo: That sounds like fun! Where can people find more of you and/or your work?
G: You can follow me on my Twitter @thegrantbutler
J: Excellent. We’re almost out of time, but before you go, please tell us one interesting thing about yourself or your book.
G: I have no idea what inspired the story the book grew out of, aside from the fact that it was just an interesting image that popped in my head.
J: I love it! And now, it’s time for the Flash fun round!
Shortly after breaking up with his unfaithful girlfriend Allison, college professor Vince O’Malley gets a call about a break-in at his house, and whoever was there left a disturbing calling card. Police immediately suspect Allison, who has completely lost her mind and is eventually found and committed to a mental hospital. But when Allison turns up dead from a drug overdose, and other strange coincidences begin happening, Vince begins to wonder what he really knows for sure about his ex-girlfriend. Why did she lose her mind? Why was her apartment trashed so badly? And why was she so obsessed with a ratty old stuffed bear? Along with Chloe Vale, an old friend of Allison’s from their school days, the two begin to learn more about Allison’s strange background and twisted family. Eventually, the two set out to find the truth about Allison’s death, her personal history, her mysterious and rich mother, and the strange disappearance of her father.
Yeah, I haven’t done much writing in the last year and a half. I can give you excuses, but no one cares. I did try, but mostly ended up clicking through web pages. While doing that, I found an article with suggested exercises for getting back into writing after the pandemic hiatus. One was to take something you’ve already done and reimagine it with the reasoning that it let you flex your imagination, but gave you a framework, so you weren’t starting from scratch.
Since people have actually ASKED for Shades of Gray in Jorick’s point of view before, I thought I’d try it. Instead of doing whole chapters at a shot, I’m going to use the version that’s broken up for serialization, because the chunks are more web friendly.
Right now they’re free to everyone, but they won’t stay that way. Chapter 1 will revert to patrons only this Saturday. The rest will follow, one a week. Did you miss one? Don’t worry, you can get access to it and other things by becoming a patron. The 1$ a month level gives you Shades of Jorick among other things, while the 5$ level gives you everything, including what I have done of the Micah book so far.
Autumn Leaves poetry collection is now available in paperback via Amazon. It’s set for the minimum printing cost, so there will be no profits, since we wanted this to be a free collection. If you have Prime, including tax, it should be under $4.
The memorial poetry collection, Autumn Leaves, put together to honor my late mother, Bonnie Mutchler, is now available from most ebook retailers – except Amazon – for free. Why no Amazon? Because it’s too difficult to get the book price matched, and I WANT the collection to be free.
A poetry collection in memory of Bonnie Mutchler, featuring poems of both fun and fantasy from some very talented poets. Includes poetry by Bonnie Mutchler, Tricia Drammeh, Brenda Brite, Lisa Conrad, DM Yates, Jonathan Harvey, Colleen Marie Keller Breuning, Penny Shortt, Joleene Naylor, M.E. Keyes, Elizabeth Miginnis, and Dora D’Agostino, with special thanks to Pat Leece for the beautiful obituary.
Credit where it’s due: The idea for the collection came from DM Yates, an extraordinary poet, and our title comes from Tricia Drammeh’s fantastic Autumn Leaves poem – written especially for this collection as my mother left behind the (odd) request that her memorial service is to be held in October, no matter the actual date of her death.
The poems in the collection include:
Autumn Leaves by Tricia Drammeh*
There is a Time by Bonnie Mutchler*
Ode to Bonnie Fair by Brenda Brite*
Still by Lisa Conrad
I Used to go A’wandering by DM Yate
Madam Moonvapor Tells a Fortune by Jonathan Harvey*
Angel Heavy by Colleen Keller Breuning
Lord of the Lost by Penny Shortt
The Song of Life by Bonnie Mutchler*
Spring by Joleene Naylor*
Quarantine Follies by M.E. Keyes*
The Lonely Shore by Tricia Drammeh
Trees by Elizabeth Miginnis
Gift by Dora D’Agostino
Little Girl Lost by Lisa Conrad
The Walrus and the Kangaroo by Bonnie Mutchler*
The Appointment by Jonathan Harvey
A Bonnie Lass Awaits by Colleen Keller Breuning
Mated Monsters by Penny Shortt
How Strange by DM Yates
The Spaces in Between by Joleene Naylor*
The Desert Guards Its Secrets Well by Elizabeth Miginnis
Gratitude by Dora D’Agostino
The Mourning Light by Colleen Keller Breuning
A Hippo by Bonnie Mutchler*
* denotes a poem that is (currently) exclusive to this collection.
Welcome to another Weekend Interview! Today we have Rachel Griffin, the author of Khyrus: Deity of Virtue & Strength.
(photo provided by Rachel Griffin
Jo: Thanks so much for coming to say hi to us, today! Can you tell us a little something about Khyrus: Deity of Virtue & Strength?
Rachel: To avenge his fallen parents and to preserve what they’ve fought to protect, Khyrus must defeat Nirjin, Deity of Destruction. Khyrus’ heart is made of gold and has longs for the day where evil will rule no longer, but will gain the strength and will? Will his companions assist him in succeeding or will they fall at his side?
J: That sounds good! What inspired you to write it?
R: I was inspired to write it because I wanted to attempt to branch out from what I usually did (poetry, newsletters, etc). I wanted to create an actual story that has a message/lesson to learn by the end of the novel. The more I pushed myself, the more creative and determined I became to complete Khyrus: Deity of Virtue & Strength. My husband and my life in general were also my inspirations. I wanted to be able to prove myself wrong and make myself proud. My husband was my inspiration and motivation because he was a constant reminder of what I’m capable of and to never give up on what you want.
J: That is so awesome! I always love to hear about writers with supportive families. So many don’t have that. Who is your favorite character in the book?
R: If I had to pick a favorite character, it would be Leona. She starts as a really close friend of Khyrus during the years they were training. She was the one who kept Khyrus’s head leveled and was his right hand person through it all. I don’t want to say more because it’ll spoil part of the ending.
J: She sounds like a good character! What was your favorite part of writing Khyrus?
R: My favorite part of the writing process was being able to type to last few words. Typing those last few words and the end of the last chapter gave me one of the best feelings ever because I could finally say I completed a book. The feeling I had after publishing was even better.
J: That is a great feeling! What was your least favorite part?
R: My least favorite part was figuring out where and how to publish on my own. The whole process was completely new to me, so getting through that for the first time was quite the challenge. Though it was my least favorite part then, it’ll me my favorite with the next books I write.
J: Yeah, publishing can be overwhelming the first time, but it gets easier and easier with each book. Speaking of future books, what do you have planned next?
R: I’m currently working on my first trilogy novels. These will be compilations of poems I’ve written pertaining to my different types of trauma. Some are relationships. Others are loved ones passing away. The rest are pertaining to relationships: family, boyfriends, friends, etc. I’m also in the middle of planning more charity events for the remainder of the year.
J: That sounds great! Can you tell us an interesting fact about you?
R: I never knew what I wanted to be as a child. I didn’t fully figure that out until I was in 12th grade.
J: I understand that. I’m not sure I’ve decided what I want to do yet, haha! Where can we find more of you and your work?
R: I have a website called Pen & Camera. I own an online Photography and Writing company and have all contact info, some of my work and pries for everything. I also have social media. I can be found on Instagram as @penandcamera1. I’m on Twitter as @penandcamera12. Follow me on Facebook.com/SnapAndWrite. I also have Tumblr and LinkedIn profile. Those links, along with other social sites and contact info, are included on my company site.
Rachel Griffin is a photographer and the Founder and CEO of Pen & Camera. She’s also the author of the new novel Khyrus: Deity of Virtue & Strength. She began writing poetry in middle school and continued throughout high school into adulthood. She soon began writing newsletters about events issues. Then she began branching off to national and international events while still including coverage on her business. It wasn’t until 2019 that she began taking on writing novels. In 2020, she published her first novel Khyrus. One book down, many more to go!
Not that I have a big following in Australia, but should I get popular with the Aussies, they will soon be able to order paperback of my books for what Amazon promises will be a reasonable price. Their time frame quote is “Later this year”, so take that however you want.
I’ve been piecemeal blogging here and there as my books have been added to different serialized platforms. It’s been a messy way of doing it, though it technically works. Today I found this page, created by the eGlobal Creative people – yeah, talk about fancy! It has my little photo, my bio, and even better the four “books” I have published with them (Amarathine is all nine books plus some extra short stories, like Honeymoon Havoc and I believe Oren’s Valentines day) and not only shows what platforms they’re on but has LINKS to them. How cool is that? It’s what I should have been doing all along, but was too lazy.
Anyway, take a second, check out that cool page, and if you use any of those platforms, please give my books a like/fav/add/whatever.
On a more personal note, I’m starting to feel more like myself, so if I can make the time I’m planning to give writing a go and see if I can get something going. Cross your fingers!
My last blog post was to share some serialized apps and websites where Amaranthine has been published, so today I wanted to share a couple that have the Vampire Morsels extended edition.
Because of the serial nature, most of the stories are divided into three plus “chapters” that make for faster reading, perfect for a lunch break or waiting on the kids at school (assuming the kids aren’t “at school” remotely.) Why is it the extended edition? Again, because of the serialized format, I had to add words. Lots of words. Several thousand words total, so several of the stories got some juicy additions, including Bethina, Nirel, Claudius, Herrick, Benjamin, Arowenia, Alexander, Adam, and Ashton. Personally, I like the expanded editions better.
Anyway, even if you’ve already read these, if you use these apps, I’d appreciate it if you’d like them, or favorite them, or add them to your list, or whatever the individual apps have.
Amaranthine is now on NovelCat and FoxNovel *- two apps available for both android and apple users. If you already have the app, even if you’ve already read the Amaranthine books, please give it a like or a love, or whatever the sites have (I admit, I haven’t installed them yet!)
The sites I have looked at are AnyStories, where the Amaranthine box set (for lack of a better description, as it is all nine books together) has not gotten much love, and WebNovel where – HOLY CATS! – it has gotten a lot of love! Seriously, check this out! (it’s the only one accessible without an app, too.)
Brothers of Darkness, Vampire Morsels, and Tales of the Executioners may eventually join them, it’s up to E Global what goes where, when. (I signed a distribution contract with them last November to handle this.) It will also probably be on Dreame eventually, as well.
*So what are these apps? They’re subscription services, sometimes, and sometimes they’re free to read a chapter a day, where books are serialized and chapters are added every week or every day. In this case, the Amaranthine books have been put altogether and then broken up into 1,000-2,000 word “episodes”, so depending on the site you might be able to buy all the episodes at once for a fee, or wait and read one episode a day, for instance, for free.
Do you read stories on the subscription style apps? What do you like about them? Which one is your favorite?
When Kaden meets the beautiful but strong Johanna, he doesn't know he's entering a world of eternal night; a world of vampires. Is it worth the death, pain, and nightmares to stay by her side? Enjoy all the books in one long saga.
This is NOT the gender swap previously published on Patreon.
You asked for it, so here it is! Join me on Patreon to read Shades of Gray from Jorick's point of view! Peer into Jorick's mind and get all the behind the scenes events Katelina couldn't see.
Find the complete Amaranthine Saga, as well as Brothers of Darkness, the expanded Vampire Morsels, and the expanded Tales of the Executioners on Dreame, WebNovel, AnyStory, and more!
An independent author, freelance artist, and photographer for fun who loves anime, music, and writing. Check out my vampire series Amaranthine at http://JoleeneNaylor.com or drop me a line at Joleene@JoleeneNaylor.com
Amaranthine by Joleene Naylor 