​KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED FOR PICTON FORUM 
 
The keynote speakers for the Writers’ & Indie Publishers’ Forum in Picton over the weekend of 8 – 10 July have been announced. Wendy Scott and Leon Jay will each speak on Saturday, passing on their special knowledge and experience. On Sunday they will also be part of the panel which will have an interactive discussion with the audience, and they will be available to answer questions.
 
Award-winning author and expert on e-publication Wendy Scott will be giving a presentation about e-publication. This will include the importance of obtaining reviews and ratings, other forms of electronic publication, CreateSpace and home-grown publications, and what we can do for ourselves. Wendy is a Top of the South branch member and well-known in the region; read her profile here: http://www.topwriters.co.nz/wendy-scott.html
 
British-born New Zealander Leon Jay has recently returned to this country from overseas lecturing tours. Leon will be telling us how to find and build an audience through the power of e-mail and social media, and will outline what to do and what not to do. This will include building a relationship with a potential audience, turning them into book buyers and fans who will spread your marketing message for you. He will explain the what, why and how of book marketing. See Leon’s website here: www.leonjay.info
 
The Forum takes place at Picton Little Theatre, 9 Dublin Street, Picton. The programme runs on Friday, 6.30 – 8.30 pm; Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm; and Sunday, 9.30 am – 12.30 pm. Entry is free to the general public. A $10 registration fee is required from writers and publishers who wish to make a presentation about their work on Saturday. Numbers of presenters are limited to the first fifteen, and registrations close 1 July. For more information and to register, contact Peter or Irene Thomas on 027 249 3146 or 03-573 5501, [email protected], or see http://www.topwriters.co.nz/coming-events.html.
 

Currently I'm in the final editing stages of Tails (~30,000 word novel), 1st in the Silver Wishes Series.
​​Heart stopping, tail dropping adventure!
​Below is a sneak preview of some of the illustrations.

Tails excerpt:
I woke. Heart beating too fast. Darkness smothering me. The same nightmare.
I shifted. Felt the familiar throb of pain along my tail, which always ached when I first awakened. For an instant I tried to fool myself it had only been a dream, but when I was brave enough to look I saw the empty space where my tail should be. Four seasons had passed and I still wasn't used to its loss.
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Writing as Wendy Scott (Fantasy for adult readers).
​NB: These books contain mature content, not suitable for younger readers.

I'm also in the process of finishing the third book in The Windflowers Trilogy.

The Trillican fleet is poised for invasion, but after fleeing Wasset, Kalli’s band is decimated. Sakhir is missing and the tribal hunters have deserted them.
Fugitive feminators, thieves, a displaced queen, Pharaoh’s disposed heir and two banished pygmies. How do the goddesses expect her to bring down a kingdom?
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​Once Pyramidion is finished I'll release the 3 books as a boxed set.

THE WITCH-HUNT SERIES
Next project will be the second book in the Witch-Hunt Series.

​The cover hasn't been finalised yet as I'm still sorting out the title.
​The first working title was Witch-Sniffer, but I'm now using Warlock.

​I'm eager to progress this story and I do receive plenty of queries from readers asking me, "Where's book 2?"

​I apologize for the delay and be assured it is coming.

​I mull ideas, characters, and plot lines over and over in my head until they are ready to tell me their story.

​Thanks for your patience.
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THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY

        The publishing world is a mysterious one full of hopes and dreams, and many disappointments and rejections. I sent out many query letters all of which were turned away. I received only a few letters basically stating, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

         Beavers Pond Press in Minneapolis did not want query letters. They only requested an email with a short description of the manuscript. So, one evening I sent such an email describing not one, but two manuscripts. Dara Beevas, the vice president called me that same late afternoon. We met the next day and spent 2 hours together. She was genuinely excited about both my manuscripts. We decided to first publish the non-fiction titled, Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir.

I was put in the good hands of managing editor, Amy Quale who guided, supported, and helped me every step of the way. She was always easy to talk to. 

Angela Wiechmann was my editor. Her name fits her perfectly. In my experience with her editing my three books, she is an angel. Her talent, skills, and ease of communication made this part of publishing smooth and non-threatening.

For the book cover, Jill Blumer did am amazing job creating a cover that beautifully represented the message of my first book. It is spiritual and uplifting, which I hope is the message that the readers find in the book.

I was fortunate to have a wonderful publisher for my first book for which I will always be grateful.

These intelligent and well-informed people taught me how to promote my book. They helped me become active in social media, how to do a launch, and do book presentations in a variety of venues. The hardest part of being a published author is to get your book into the hands of a reader.

For my two novels I published through CreateSpace. It is a very independent process, but far less expensive than traditional publishing. I had Angela as my editor and Jay Monroe, a very talented and creative artist to design the book covers for my novels.

I encourage the new author to not be intimidated by the publishing industry. The publisher is just like you and me. They have a love for books, an understanding about good writing, and how to market the end product.

Author Info:
Karen Ingalls is a retired registered nurse with a master’s degree in human development, which was a double major in psychology and human services. She is the author of the award winning book, Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir from which all proceeds are donated to gynecologic cancer research. Her second novel is Davida: Model & Mistress of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Her first novel, Novy’s Son challenges the reader to examine the issues of alcoholism, sexual addiction, and family dynamics. She has also written poetry, short stories, and has had articles published for professional journals. Karen also does presentations to promote her books and on subjects of health/wellness.

"Connect with Karen:
http://www.amazon.com/Outshine-Ovarian-Cancer-Karen-Ingalls/dp/1592984622   
http://amazon.com/dp/BO1BO2VQY   
http://www.kareningallsbooks.com/
http://kareningalls.blogspot.co.nz/
http://twitter.com/KarenIngalls1 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-Ingalls/1473379352893458 
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/karen-ingalls/37/509/ba8 

The tour sponsored by  4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com​

Thanks to the Top of the South branch of NZ Society of Authors for inviting me to speak at their monthly lunchtime meeting about my award winning children's book, Hieroglyph.
​My talk was on the evolution of an idea into a book. Earbuds and cartouches, magic and mystery, Egyptians and Australians.
The Nelson writers were a lovely audience - they all laughed in the right places!

While in Nelson I picked up some copies of Hieroglyph with the updated cover - added The Wishing Shelf Gold Medal and Reader's Favorite 5*
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