Some Premade Covers up for grabs :-D

With Erica hanging around, we've had a lot of rain this past week...which has resulted in flooding for some...and lots of extra time to dabble in graphics for others.

Having said that...here are some premade covers I have up for grabs. Twenty bucks each (and another five to add a nifty little Facebook banner! Samples included below.)

If interested message me at friedgatortail@gmail.com subject line - COVER. (Simple changes like font, color or adding tagline are included in price.)

Authors working for Authors...

One of the perks of going Indie is having the chance to dabble in all sorts of different things from formatting to graphic work. Over the years, I've realized that playing around with teasers and such is a great way to fill the times I get derailed by my Writer ADD. I like it, because it keeps my creative juices flowing but in a completely different way than writing does.

But rather than constantly flood my social media sites with my own teasers, I thought maybe I would start making some for other authors and show them off instead - you know, to keep things interesting for readers as well as myself!

So, to get the ball rolling I'm offering a 5 graphic combo for only $20. This would include a Facebook banner, a 3D image of your book and 3 teasers.

In addition, I'm also able to offer basic eBook formatting for as low as $10, custom eBook covers starting at $35 and blog/website design using Blogger or Wordpress starting at $45.

For more info or to get started, shoot me a message at friedgatortail@gmail.com

To see samples of my work, simply continue scrolling...

(Just, you know, remember I've only been doing this for myself for the most part so naturally, all the samples will have my name and book titles on them...)

Banners ~

 

Teasers ~

  

eBook Covers ~

 Blogs ~

Author K.S. Thomas

Living On Books And Coffee Book Blog

Friedgatortail (Wordpress Version)

Finding Nolan Book Site

And...obviously, the one you're on right now ;-)

The Bridge of Deaths by M.C.V. Egan

Being Indie

I recently met another Indie Author who took me on a wild roller-coaster ride of emotions during our conversations about books, publishing and writing. And not in a good way. Well, except for the moments I was so beside myself I wanted to start laughing hysterically at the ridiculous things that were being said, but unless I know and love you, laughing at you doesn't leave me feeling warm and fuzzy either, so I didn't.

Initially, I came home feeling such a surge of anger, all I wanted to do was write a scathing post about this person (okay, not this person...this person's comments), because, whether intentional or not, this person had insulted me and my work continuously throughout the evening. Considering they don't know anything about me, I'll assume it was NOT intentional and maybe just a personality flaw. I get it. I've got 'em. People think I'm a bitch all the time because I have resting bitch face and lack all the bubbly shit when I talk, walk and basically go about existing.

Regardless, I've had some time to sit with it, digest it all and I've come to conclude this: There are two different types of Indie Authors. Those who embrace it and those who snub their nose at it while doing their best to prove to the rest of the world they're as close to being 'really' published as possible.

It would be easy to focus on the latter right now. Really easy. Because it seriously pissed me off being confronted with someone who, in my opinion, embodied that description. But I won't. I'm going to focus on the first.

I love being Indie.

I love everything about it.

I love that I get to tell the story I want to tell the way I want to tell it.

I love that I get to participate in the creation of my book every step of the way. It's daunting at times, being solely responsible for it ALL, but it's rewarding in a way that being published by someone else is not. (And yeah...I've been published - surprise!)

I love not worrying about critics and publishers and instead feeling connected to READERS.

I love readers. I love the way they embrace Indie Authors. I love the way they become my friends. I love how much I can share this process with them.

And, I love this community. I love being a part of it. Writing can be a very lonely job (well, sort of...in a way, I'm not sure any writer is ever REALLY lonely because we're never REALLY alone) but, in those moments when the voices go quiet because they don't know squat about publishing or marketing or editing or formatting (covers - the voices know covers - but that's kinda it), in those moments, being able to reach out to another member of the Indie community is valuable beyond measure.

So, I was angry at first when the evening I spent with this fellow Indie Author came to an end. I was proud of myself for not calling him an asshole the many, many times I wanted to, and then, I was sad. Sad because he may never know the pure joy and pride I have felt over being 'Indie'.

And now...now I'm content. Because writing it all out has made me realize that I don't care what he thinks any more than he will ever care what I think. And all that really matters to me is this:

I'm an Indie Author. And I love it.

My Goal & My Reason

In the last week or so I've received two really significant reviews on two separate books. The reviewers may or may not know just how much their words have stayed with me and touched my heart, but they have. And it's not because they couldn't stop gushing about how awesome my writing is (in fact, one reviewer initially hated the book and nearly quit halfway through) it's because they saw beyond the stories to the truths I had hidden within. Or, had hoped I had hidden within. 

Most days I don't think my life has been all that remarkable. Other times, I take stock of all that I've experienced and wonder how I've crammed it all into thirty-four years...and how I'm still standing. That last part is probably silly. I can't always tell. I have a tendency to be a tad on the dramatic side. Of course, I'm also all about deny and sweep that shit under the rug, so who the hell knows where I really stand on the scale of life and trauma and the ultimate happy ever after.

But, I digress.

Sort of.

My goal is always to write stories to entertain. Generally, I don't set out to send some sort of a message. I'm not in it to shed light on deep dark secrets of the heart and soul. I just want to write about characters people will enjoy and stories that will hold their interest from page one to page 'the end'.

That's my goal.

It's not my reason.

My reason for writing is selfish. Super selfish. Beyond selfish.

I write for myself. Always have. I write for healing. For release. For fun. But mostly, I write for some sense of control. When life runs off its fucking rails, I get on the computer and pound the shit out of those keys until I feel as though I've put it back on track.

I write to lie to myself.

So, when I read those reviews...they stay with me. Because I may write to lie to myself...but I always strive to tell the truth while I do it. Even if it's not pretty. Or likable. Or even understood. And somehow, in those moments when the truth is seen...and acknowledged...it makes the lies that much easier to bear.