Vacations, Reviews and Comic-Con...oh my!

Well it's been quite awhile since I've written anything here. Not much has happened, just me living day to day life. Now that I am finally on vacation, I have time to do things that I want. Of course I am playing video games and enjoying myself there, but I am also getting back into the writing groove. One thing about this time of year for me is when I start getting ideas. Of course a lot of those ideas spawn from the San Diego Comic-Con which is happening in a few days. I enjoy wandering around the booths and seeing artwork that can inspire me.

So this year I am taking myself, a shirt, some cards and some books with me down to Comic-Con and I plan on introducing myself to the masses. Perhaps I might get somewhere, perhaps not, but at least I'll probably do a small little signing with Ron while I'm down there. I'm not the richest person in the world, so my copies are limited, but for whoever decides to get a copy, I hope they enjoy the work.

Speaking of enjoying the work, I did receive an outstanding review recently. You can read it here on this website if you haven't already. http://www.themindpalace.net/the-indie-pub/4576795387. Also the reviewer posted a review of the book on Goodreads, which was nice. Of course I'd like more feedback from other people as well, but I will take what I can get. Until then, I will continue to trudge on and continue my goal of making those who read my work, enjoy the story they have read.

Hopefully there will be more to come in the next few days, we shall see.

-Michelle

A bit of motivation and a thank you.

Wow, it's been a while since I actually got my butt on here to post. Sorry for those of you looking for updates. I've been a little down of recent and really haven't had much motivation to post, to write or to do much of anything besides go to work and immerse in video games. But enough dilly dallying about, I got some motivation today from the least likely of sources; Amazon.com.

Apparently some people out there were interested enough to buy a copy of Cursed and the Damned. So this is a thank you to everyone who has supported the title so far. Thank you! Without your support, I doubt Cursed and the Damned would have gotten as far as it has. Also if you like the book, please tell your friends. I'd like to hear some feedback about it, good or bad. Thank you all again!

And now that that is said, I shall go back to progressing with the writing process.

-Michelle

And the results are in!

Well, once again I got kicked out of ABNA. So sad that once again they didn't like my pitch, but I will continue to write on knowing that there are people out there who have read my book and enjoyed it. So for you I shall continue my work although this is depressing. Although I have come to realize that this contest is like a lottery just like getting a publisher is. It's a crap shoot.

Happenings so far this February

Well on Wednesday, we're going to find out if Cursed and the Damned makes it past the pitch stage of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. I'm hopeful, but at the same time I know my odds pretty much suck so I am not holding my breath.

Of recent I have been catching up on my video games I have yet to finish or start as it may be, so currently I am working on Fire Emblem 9 and the newest one in the series 13. One I am enjoying the other not so much. I will say, so far Fire Emblem 13 is worth picking up. I also purchased the game in Japanese and sometime by the end of the month I should have it and a Japanese system to go with it.

Also earlier this month I went to a local authors exhibit in downtown San Diego. My book along with the books of a bunch of local authors is on display for the whole month and then will be available for the community to check out. There is a link for my book here so...click here to see it! I'll update in a few day hopefully with the status of luck for this year's ABNA contest.

Until then wish me luck,
-Michelle

Ramblings of an author

This is supposed to be a writing blog and really I find it difficult to actually write here. Expressing my thoughts seems to be a bit more difficult that expressing my ideas. I suppose that is good for you, the reader, because it means that I am doing other things like working on my writing ideas, (or dealing with my real job). Regardless here I am on a rainy day, enjoying the sounds of the drop contacting the roof and chatting with you and not keeping to my introverted self.

Now I do have some news to report. I entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award like I said I would, so let's all see how that goes. I plan on entering some other contests this year so more information will be coming your way when I know more. Also, I am going to a Local Author Exhibit down in San Diego on the 1st of the month. I'm not sure how that is going to go, but it will be nice to see my fellow authors in San Diego and have Cursed and the Damned on display for the month.

In other news, Guilt's Curse, the sequel to Cursed and the Damned is coming along nicely although I wish I had more time to write it and I wish I could be a full time author. Perhaps someday, but for now I'll continue to write it as an escape from reality. Also, I'll probably work on editing and polishing my science fiction book as well as well as trying to self promote myself. Trying to get a name for yourself can be a pain in the ass. Ha!

Anyway, feel free to drop me a response or follow me on twitter @AuthorMichelleS

Take care,
Michelle

It's that time of year again

Hello folks,
Once again it's that time of year. It's time for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest again, and like everyone suggested, I have entered once again. I can only hope that I make it past the first round. I haven't had very much luck in the years past which is disappointing, but part of life. Send your well wishes my way, for I  could sure use them.

Thank you!

-Michelle

For 3 Days only! 11/19-11/21 Cursed and the Damned is $.99!

Hello blog viewers. Right now if you have a Kindle now is the time to pick up Cursed and the Damned. It is currently only $.99! Please now is the time to read it, or get your friends to check it out. I would appreciate it and I hope it will lead to book sales. I want the world to know about it so everyone please get it out there!


-Michelle

Reflections of Reviews

Well it has been a while since my last post, but I don't really have that much to say. I wish I could say that my book sale were through the roof, but alas I don't think they ever will be. I did recently get my first negative review for Cursed and the Damned and surprisingly it didn't phase me much. If you'd love to see it just type in the book name on Amazon.com and you can read it there.
I don't expect everyone to like it or the writing style, that's how this 'business' works. I just hope that the people who do read it and enjoy it recommend it to others. You can't please everyone in the writing business, but those you do please will be fans for life and those are the people that we, as writers, write for.

Also, to those who have or will read it, please let your real feelings be voiced. Good or bad I really want to hear it.

-Michelle

Contest has ended

I would like to say congratulations to the five people who won the free giveaway contest for Cursed and the Damned. I hope you all enjoy the book. For everyone else, thank you for your interest. If you are still interested in the book, don't hesitate to visit my website http://www.michellescheunemann.com/cursed-and-the-damned.html and click on the links on the right hand side to see where you can purchase the book.

Thank you all again!
-Michelle

The time is nigh for the end of the contest....

Well the end of my first giveaway is near. I wish all of those who entered the best of luck in getting a free copy of Cursed and the Damned. For those of you who don't get the free copy, and from the looks of it there will be many of you, please don't hesitate to check out my website for places you can go to purchase the book. There is a hard cover and Kindle version as well as the paperback. Regardless I hope everyone enjoys the book and would be kind enough to give me a review either on Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Again, Good luck to all who entered or will enter in the last day or so!

-Michelle

Progress is being made.

Well I came back to New Jersey even though I really didn't want to. Recently I just started an advertising campaign on Facebook, so hopefully that will generate a little buzz.

My leg is still messed up a little bit and that is giving me a little more time to write during the day. That's a happy thing because we might see a sequel sometime soon. I'm just getting to the part that I really want to write. So this should come along rather quickly...with time out to promote Cursed and the Damned.

With that said, I'm off to write some of the sequel.

-Michelle

A few weeks of ups and downs

Sorry I haven't been as active as I could be. Right now I recovering from a knee injury. Unfortunately that injury has caused some problems for me in my 'real' job since I'm not supposed to be stair climbing. Unfortunately my office is upstairs and that well...kind of makes it hard for me to do that job.

In more pleasant news, I am currently in New Jersey hanging out with a friend and just relaxing a bit. I just purchased a new journal, however this one is not the normal one. It's one for complaining about the stupidity of the human race. It fits right in with my warped sense of humor.

Also, while I'm out here, I'm hitting up the local book stores and handing out my business cards. Surprisingly I handed my card out today and I should be getting a packet in the mail to hopefully start selling it in the store. :) We shall see where this goes, but I'm willing to give anything a shot.

I'm sure I'll have more to tell when I get back from my cross-country adventure. Until then, keep your eyes peeled.

-Michelle

A 'Labor' of love from me to you.

Well, my knee is having some sort of problem, which sucks because having pain is pretty crappy. However, it's the weekend, which means I get to work on my books!

Also, a friend of mine who purchased the book told me what I wanted to hear. He got caught up in Cursed and the Damned.  That's the whole idea! I love getting enveloped in books and drawn in. Well since he got drawn in, it means I did my job! ;)

Now I have a labor day special going on. It starts tonight at Midnight and ends when Labor Day does, but if you have a Kindle and would like to download my book for free, now is the time to do it! Let your friends know as well. It's a great opportunity to read the book for free!

Happy Labor Day!

-Michelle

Another Day, and my first autograph.

Well my week at my regular job has been SO much fun...(yes this is sarcasm). Nothing like having to deal with thousands of price changes on a daily basis. Ugh. Besides that it has been an ok week. The first few buyers of my book have received their copies and seem very eager to read it. The big saving grace was that one of my readers proudly ran up to me with her new copy of my book and of course wanted me to sign it. So, not only did I make her day by signing it, but she made my day with her enthusiasm. Seeing her happy, that made me happy and THAT my friends is what my writing is all about!

Going for the more professional approach

Well today I got my first round of business cards to give away. They look pretty nice. I also know that someone received their copy of my book, so yay! I really hope everyone that purchased it really enjoys it. Not much else to report except that this is a hell week for me at work, so creativewise this week is probably going to have not a whole heck of a lot happening.

So with that being said, I'm off for another round of New Super Mario Bros. 2 before bed.

-Michelle

Book giveaway

Good evening all!

Well let me update you on a few things. I found out today that Cursed and the Damned is now available for purchase on Barnes and Noble.com. That is some good news, right?

Also there is a current giveaway for my book on goodreads. 5 copies are to be given out to 5 lucky readers. I didn't say they would be signed, but that is the plan. This is a great opportunity for those of us with lacking funds to get the book. Check it out!

Also if you're into that twitter thing, you can find me on there now. Just type my name or follow me at AuthorMichelleS .

That's it for tonight. Tomorrow I write! Until next time

-Michelle

Just a little something buzzworthy....

Good evening all. I don't have much to say tonight, except that I pretty much took the night off of working on promoting and all that stuff. I've been burning the candle at both ends this past week and it is catching up with me. At least I have eight or so books out there that people have purchased for all of my efforts so far. Thank you!

I am planning a free book give away on Goodreads. Hopefully that will generate some buzz as well. I have some other avenues of advertisement that I plan on using but I plan on using those a little later.

I do have a request for those who read the book. Please rate and review it for me on amazon.com, on  goodreads, on any other site you can think of. That will help too. As much as writing and getting my book out there is a success, YOU folks are the reason anything becomes popular or successful. Remember that!

The problems of being a 'starving artist' or 'struggling author'

Hello readers,
Here's an update on what's going on in the world of Michelle. Last night I purchased some business cards to pass out to people who might be interested in my work. It beats the method I've been using at work, which is writing down my website and telling people to go check it out. I'm a struggling author, gotta do this self promoting somehow.

Next, today I entered the title of my book into the search bar @ Amazon.com and they have the paperback listed. That's happy news. It means it's out there for people to stumble across. The kindle version was pushed back due to an error on the creators part. (Forgetting to include an author, namely yourself is a pretty stupid thing to do.) Luckily they caught my mistake, so happy news there.

And finally I am proud to say I am up to 6 copies of the novel sold. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported me in this step and like I have said before, I hope that you all enjoy reading Cursed and the Damned as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Until the next folly or accomplishment,

-Michelle

Day 1 of being a 'published' author

Well folks, I just updated my account status on goodreads.com and now I am an 'author' by their standards. That is good news! I so far have sold 2 books and the book hasn't even been out for a day. That's even BETTER news! As I've said before, this isn't about me getting revenue even though that is an added perk, it's about making people love what I've done and love the worlds that I've created. I hope everyone that has an opportunity to pick up my book will enjoy what they read. That is the TRUE reward for this. I also want honest feedback, I want to know what everyone thinks of it. With that I leave you with the news that I have updated my website. Also I will show you the entire cover here.

Hardcover Released!

Well folks, I finally did it and before the end of the August! I can now safely say I am a published author. Thank you all to those who helped me out and inspired me along the way. Here is the link to the site

http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=Cursed+and+the+Damned&categoryId=100501

The other versions of the book are soon to follow.
-Michelle