The Grand Prize winner receives a Kindle Fire and all participating books.
One runner-up receives all books.
Join the fun here! LINK bit.ly/historical-fict
When you’re done, tell me which books you’re most excited to win!
Wendy Scott award winning writer of Fantasy & Children's Stories |
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Have you seen this awesome giveaway from BookSweeps? You can win my multi-award winning book Hieroglyph, plus books from authors like USA Today Bestselling author Joy Nash and, International Bestselling author Pam Jenoff and win the GRAND PRIZE of a Kindle Fire. This giveaway ends soon, so make sure you hurry and enter! Good luck! The Grand Prize winner receives a Kindle Fire and all participating books. One runner-up receives all books. Join the fun here! LINK bit.ly/historical-fict When you’re done, tell me which books you’re most excited to win! The Grand Prize winner receives a Kindle Fire and all participating books. One runner-up receives all books. bit.ly/historical-fict
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Welcome to Rave Writers - International Society of Authors Blog Tour (RWISA). It's my pleasure to feature author Rhani D'Chae. 1) How long have you been writing? I started writing when I was about 11 and dabbled in it over the years. I wrote one novel and a lot of poetry before deciding to focus exclusively on fiction. I started writing more seriously in 1999, and it's been a pretty consistent thing since then. 2) How many books have you authored? Please give us up to 3 titles? I have written one novel: Shadow of the Drill, and one short story: A Perilous Thirst. 3) Do you have a writing schedule? I tried to have a writing schedule but I'm not very good at it. It seems that life keeps interfering. 4) You’re a member of RAVE WRITERS – INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AUTHORS (RWISA). Why do you think you were accepted into this exclusive group? I was so honored when Nonnie invited me to join RWISA! I believe it was because I take writing very seriously, and my work was considered good enough to allow me entrance into that unique branch of #RRBC. 5) Modesty aside, what separates your writing from the millions of other writers in the world? I've only published two works so far, but I like to think that they are unique based on both subject matter and writing style. I tried to create well-rounded characters that are capable of deep emotion, and I think that is one of the main reasons my work is different. At least in the Drill series. 6) If you could spend a day picking the brain of one author, who would that be? Why? If I had to pick one author, it would probably be J.R.R. Tolkien. I have been working on a fantasy trilogy for the last few years, and his ability to create a fantasy world and keep everything realistically consistent has always amazed me. I would love to be able to get insight from him that I could then bring to the pages of my own project. 7) Are you a die-hard INDIE writer who loves having complete control of your work, or, if you were offered a publishing contract today, would you sign on the dotted line? I love having complete control of my work as an indie author. However, if I was offered an acceptable publishing contract today it would be very hard to turn it down. I'm lousy when it comes to marketing, so hopefully a publishing contract would help with that. I also fit the category of "starving artist" perfectly, so if the contract came with any kind of an advance I would probably have to take it. 8) As an author, where do you see yourself in 5 years? In five years I hope to have completed six or seven books in the Drill series. Aside from that, my goal is to finish four or five projects that have been gathering dust for a very long time. Oh, and I would also like to be earning some sort of stable income from my writing. 9) What is the ONE tool that has been the most beneficial tool in the marketing of your books? I would have to say that the most beneficial tool is Rave Reviews Book Club. Without the support of #RRBC, I can honestly say that my writing would not be nearly as good as it is now, and probably no one would even know that I have books on Amazon. #RRBC consists of some of the most amazing people that I have ever met, and the knowledge/experience that they have willingly shared with me has made a tremendous difference in my work. 10) Name one writer that you know of, member or non-member of RRBC, who you feel should be added to the RWISA Roster of elite members? Why? Suzanne Burke. She definitely knows how to put words on a page. I am currently reading Acts Beyond Redemption, and I've become quite a fan. 11) What is the one piece of advice that you could share that would be most valuable for those aspiring to not only be writers, but those aspiring to be great writers? Be fluid and open to change. When we sit down to that first blank page, we usually have a pretty good idea of how the book is going to go. But that doesn't mean that the characters will agree. They may see themselves going in a completely different direction from what you had planned, and it's usually best to at least consider their suggestions. Different doesn't always mean wrong. Had I learned that earlier, I could have saved myself a gazillion headaches from trying to fight my way through the writer's block that came from trying to force a character down a path that he wasn't meant to walk. 12) Do you believe that writers who churn out several books a year are really putting out quality work? I believe that a good writer can publish more than one book in a year without sacrificing quality. However, I know several writers who are so focused on quantity that everything else is lost. The writing is poor, the plot lines repetitive, and the characters lack any degree of depth. For some reason, these writers seem to think that being a "good" writer is dependent on how many books they have listed on Amazon. 13) If you had promised your fans a book by a certain date only to find that your book wasn’t the best it could be, would you go ahead and publish your book just to meet that self-imposed deadline and deliver as promised, or, would you disappoint your fans and shelve the book until it was absolutely ready? No matter your reason, please explain why? I would absolutely shelve my work until I felt it was the best it could possibly be. Many times over the last two years I have failed to meet my self-imposed deadlines for a project that I've been working on. I could have published it many times by now, but I felt that I owed it to my readers, and more importantly to my characters, to hold off until I felt that it was right. As a reader, I would much rather wait on a book that I have been anticipating then away to be disappointed by it. 14) In your opinion, what makes a book “a great book?” To me, a great book is one that pulls me in and won't let me go until the last page is turned. It's a book that I hate to put down and one that I will reread often. The writing doesn't necessarily have to be great, but it does need to be good. The characters need to have depth, and they need to hook me on one level or another. 15) If you received a review of your book which stated that there were editing & proofing “issues,” what’s the first thing you would do? And the second? If I learned that there were editing issues in a book that I had published, I would immediately try to fix them, assuming that the reviewer had mentioned where in the book they were. If not, I would go through the book page by page and try to correct anything I had previously missed. Also, I would probably ask a friend to have nothing better to do to read through the book and let me know of any issues that they found. A second pair of eyes never hurts. Especially when the first pair is mine. How I Break Through Writer's Block I have two ways of dealing with writer's block. Neither is a surefire cure, but they do help more often than not. The first thing that I will do is put in a movie that somehow connects me to my work. Maybe it's a plot line similar to what I am working on, or maybe there are actors/characters that I can relate to the ones that I'm trying to write about. There is an actor whose face I see whenever I think of Decker, the lead character in the Drill series. So an hour or so of watching him onscreen is usually enough to get me back on track. My second choice is to switch projects. My writing file contains close to 30 projects, in various genres, and sometimes all that's needed is to take a dip in a different pond. It may be a day or two, but when I go back to my original project it's with a clear mind and a wealth of new ideas. Writer's block can be so frustrating, but having one or two ways to reboot the creativity factor can sometimes make all the difference. A Perilous Thirst by Rhani D'Chae![]() Hi Writers, Why do I recommend you keep quiet about your new book idea until it's developed? Self-doubt. Your story idea is in its fledgling stage. You haven’t worked out all the plot details, your feelings see-sawing between whether this new project is awesome or awful. You’re on the brink of committing your time and energy, but that niggling self-doubt is whispering in your ear about perhaps instead of this story idea you should be choosing another. And guess what happens when you switch to a different idea? Another plot idea appears as the better choice. Before long you have several false starts with no progress. A less than enthusiastic response from a relative/friend/author/babysitter/mailman could kill your idea before you’ve even written the first chapter. The critique stage comes much later when you have a written draft. Even then, be careful who you share your manuscript with. Use qualified critique partners familiar with your genre. Also, instead of talking endlessly to others about your unwritten book idea – write it! At writers’ groups I’ve meet too many writers still talking about their idea; procrastinating week after week, month after month, and some year after year, without actually writing their story. So, in the early stages, when someone asks you what you are currently working on I suggest you give a vague answer – “A children’s/romance/horror/mystery novel, but it’s still in the development stage. “ If they get persistent just give them your author business card/website address and tell them they can follow your progress online. Or even better, ask them to sign up to your online newsletter (collect their email address), and they will receive your author updates. Best wishes with your writng journey, Wendy xxx Plant your story seed, nurture your idea, and let it grow!
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Wendy ScottThoughts about life & about writing - from a NZ writer of fantasy, romance & children's fiction. Excellent gifts for writers
(of all ages). Blank lined notebooks for writers.
Aspiring Author SeriesWriting Prompts for Kids
Hieroglyph: Gold Medal Winner in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Click on Cronkite (the bird) to download FREE, Gypsy Wishes, a companion scene for Tails.Follow me on Twitter
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