Not Just Any Cover Will Do

“She is Hiawassee, isn’t she?” A friend said of the beautiful painting of the Native American girl, by artist Karen Noles, on the cover of my book, Hiawassee – Child of the Meadow. See the cover to the right in the side bar. The cover draws the reader to pick up the book; the words inside will prompt them to continue reading. At the Pow Wow last weekend, I sold out of Hiawassee before any of the other three titles I had taken. People wanted “that” book, although they could not read the back cover or hold it in their hand. The cover art is the first element of the book that tells the reader the book is worth their time and money. The cover is vitally important to the success of the book. Not just any cover will do.

 

 

The lovely cover for Christmases Past, a book of eight short stories from eight different authors, tells us the content with one glance. The weathered wood of the siding and window frame tells us that times were not always prosperous, yet it was clean and tidy. Though it’s cold outside, as represented by the slight frost on the pane, the warmth of the fire in hearth represents the presence life and love, shelter and security. The hand-hewn floor planks inside tells us of a simply way of life and yet, the presence of the Christmas tree lets the reader know that holidays were precious to those who went before us. It’s all there. It’s in the cover.

 

The first story, by Andrea Merrell, The Gift, is already on Amazon in Pre-order. My short story, Christmas Feathers, out the latter part of October, is the fifth short in the collection called Christmases Past. It’s the story of James and Rachel Bryson, my great-great-great grandparents, I first introduced in, Smoke from Distant Fires.

 

The stories will be released individually and then again later in the complete collection. Some have asked if a short story is worth $.99. In our fast-paced lives, an opportunity to read a faith-based story, and capture the entirety of the author’s heart within those well-crafted, carefully chosen words, for the price of one-third of a cup of latte, is a real blessing. Step inside the warmth of Christmases Past and enjoy a great story, dear readers!

Doris

Doris Gaines Rapp

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2014 Doris Gaines Rapp                        

Sign a Book Anywhere

“Book signings?” a friend moaned. “I saw an author in a bookstore standing near his stack of books and no one would even look at him. I won’t put myself through that embarrassment.”

 

He was greatly mistaken! A book signing isn’t about selling books! It’s about meeting readers and getting your brand, your name, out to the reading public. Unless you have a huge publishing house behind you, no one will have heard of you unless you introduce yourself. To be honest, even the large publishers expect the author to do most of the marketing.

 

Six to eight weeks before you go on vacation, call a bookstore in your destination city, tell them when you will be in their area, and ask if you can do a book signing for two hours on a Saturday or weekday evening. Ask to be placed near the front of the store then, like a Walmart greeter, say “hi” to everyone who comes in and looks in your direction. “May I tell you about my book?” Pass out fliers or cards with your name, book title and ISBN. I make up business card with two book covers, their ISBN’s on each side (total four titles) and my name. I include a line with my email address, Amazon profile, blog link and Facebook author page.

 

Remember, a book store is not the only place to sign books and meet readers. Take along some take-away information: cards, fliers, upcoming releases, to a variety of events. In the next few months I will sign at:

 

• Last weekend, I signed at a Pow Wow with my two newest books, both with Indian themes
• At the end of this month - a craft fair
• A Christmas Bazaar
• An author fair at a large library – Alert! People are there to borrow, not buy books. Be thrilled to meet people and hand out information. Have books to sell with a “Square” to accept their credit/debit card payments.
• Local authors fair at a Barnes and Noble store. There will be several participants.
• A one-person signing at a bookstore in a nearby city

 

By then, it will be time to market my short story, Christmas Feathers. It will appear on Amazon as a short story and then, as part of a completion, Christmases Past, with seven other authors. In fact, the first short story, Volume One – The gift by Andrea Merrell, is already on Amazon as a pre-order.

 

What could possibly be more fun, than fulfilling the plan God has for your life and meeting interesting people too? Go on out and live every moment of your life!

 

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2014 Doris Gaines Rapp

What Tribe are You From?

A Native Chief with a weathered face sat down at my table and began to tell me his story of separation from his family, abuse from others, and the events that shaped his life, at the 54^th Tecumseh Lodge Pow Wow yesterday. I was signing my two newest books with American Indian themes, Smoke from Distant Fires and Hiawassee – Child of the Meadow. The lines that were etched in his face traced his story. It was his tale to be told, not mine.

“What tribe are you from?” another Native American asked when he came up to my table.

“I’m not from a tribe,” I said and explained my books and their connection to the Shawnee and Cherokee tribes.

“Yes, you are,” he said confidently. “You’re a Miami.”

“No,” I said, slowly thinking. “We’ve traced many branches of my family tree and have found no Native Americans there.”

“I can tell by the width of your temples and the color of your eyes . . . you’re Miami,” he said again.

“Cool,” I responded. New genealogical discoveries are so much fun!

Then, like other writers, I began to think of the stories I could tell while I searched my ancestry. I have already researched back many generations and found those characters that sit on my branches just like you have. Now, I have an entirely different path to follow. I will track the steps of possible First People whose traits I may still display.

What stories are in your family’s past? If you search, you will never have writer’s block. You will have new/old material to inspire your writing for the rest of your life. What tribe are you from?

Weekends Are For Texture Gathering

Three days off from work at your day-job! Now for the delightful research for the job that defines you – Author. Suggestion: keep a few three-by-five cards in your pocket and a pen. As you sit around the fire-pit, sharing barbeque with friends and family, take it all in, then jot down a few words worth keeping.

See – all of the colorful sights and save some useful descriptions for later use in your writing projects. Were the trees a special color? Have the flowers given over to later blooms? Is the sky a special hue worth remembering? Are your friends and family participating in interesting activities with the possibility of vivid descriptions?

Hear – does a dog bark distinctively in the distance? Is the sound of your loved one’s words especially poignant or humorous? Does someone tell a delightful story worth re-telling?

Touch – are the rose petals a unique texture? Does your daughter’s new sundress have a special feel? Is the hamburger as hot as . . .?

Smell – is the Vidalia onion especially mellow? Do the deviled eggs have a tangy yet sweet taste? Are the s’mores packed full of chocolaty sweetness mixed with crunchy graham cracker crumbles that crackle in your mouth?

Emotional feelings – does the presence of your grandfather conjure up feelings of . . . perhaps the melodic melancholy of summers past in the face of warm breezes without the deep base of his voice.
 
Descriptions – does someone answer with a familiar response in a colorful way?
 
Whatever your experience, mine the word-gifts in your backyard like golden treasures for the rich color they can add to your next story.  Happy gathering!

Doris

Doris Gaines Rapp
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

It's Time to Pow Wow

Tons of fun for everyone! Saturday and Sunday, August 30 and 31, I will be meeting readers and signing books at the Pow Wow, Fair Grounds, Tipton, Indiana. Come on out and chat. If you decide to buy a couple of my books, I'll be glad to sign them for you! Signing: Smoke from Distant Fires  and  Hiawassee - Child of the Meadow.
Doris
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."
Copyright 2014 Doris Gaines Rapp

The Great Ellipsis Mystery

Does anyone speak, ellipsis language? I just faced down a rough debate with a handout that "explained" what an ellipsis is and how and when to use it. Oh, sorry, an ellipsis is that dot dot dot at the end of an unfinished sentence. One cluster is an ellipsis and several of them are ellipses.

Why do you need to know that? As a reader . . . no reason I can think of. If you write, editors have this funny need to have things done correctly. So, just to help you out, I'll leave this dot interpretation.

1.  "Mary had a little lamb, its fleece were white. . . . Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go."  
no space   dot (for the first dot would be the period that would have been at the end of the sentence if the sentence were complete) then, dot   space   dot   space   dot   space
2.  "Old Mother Hubbard, went to the cupboard, to get . . . a bone." 
space   dot   space   dot   space   dot   space  
3.  "The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow. What will poor robin do then. . . . Sit in barn and keep himself warm and hide his head under his wing. "
no space dot   space   dot   space   dot   space   dot   space   Capitol first word of next part regardless if it was the beginning of the original sentence.4.  What did you say? . . .
punctuation   space   dot   space   dot   space   dot
5.  "What do you think about . . .?"
space   dot   space   dot   space   dot   no space punctuation
6.  “Baa baa black sheep, have your any wool? Yes, sir, yes sir . . .”
space   dot   space   dot   space   dot   no space, then quote mark
7.  “Where, oh where, has my little dog . . .?”
space  dot   space   dot   space   dot no space quote
8.  “But . . .” James said, shook his head, and stepped away from her.s
space   dot   space   dot   space   dot   no space  quote mark
There you have it. If you can explain it more clearly or more correctly, PLEASE post a correction. A good writer always wants to learn correct ways of executing their craft.
Doris
Doris Gaines Rapp  
   

 
 

Life Beyond the Boxes

The box of books came today! That's better than finding the red bicycle under the tree you had been writing Santa about! The brown cardboard box looks innocent enough, not at all like a treasure chest full of the dreams and promises you had worked hard to attain. The shipment was a stack of my two new historical novels, Hiawassee - Child of the Meadow and Smoke from Distant Fires that I will be signing at the Pow Wow in Tipton, IN on Labor Day weekend.

I had signed Smoke from Distant Fires in Louisville, KY in April, just days after its release date. Now, Hiawassee - Child of the Meadow is equally new. They arrived just in time for the Pow Wow! What a thrill!

Even more amazing is that, while I get excited about interacting with readers with these two books, I am also working on two other pieces. I'm putting the final edits on Christmas Feathers which will be out soon as a short story, then will be combined with seven other authors' short stories to create the book, Christmases Past. 

I had to pull up my pant legs today and keep running. So many wonderful projects. I spent all day yesterday, selecting several years of posts from my blog, www.prayertherapyrapp.blogspot.com to create a Devotional Book based on Prayer Therapy, a Lent Book, Advent Booklet, and then update Prayer Therapy Primer for a re-release.

No, I am not in a manic phase. I'm also a psychologist and I would know. The Lord just continues to bless me with writing opportunities and has introduced me to a new publisher, HHP.

One of my expressions is, "What you do not naturally do you must deliberately do." So, while the creative ideas flow, I must make a list of the projects and enter details into my daily planner. I also post to a worksheet that reminds me of all the steps necessary in order to finish a major writing project. I describe a character or a scene in detail in my books, but the mundane knit-picky of everyday life is profoundly annoying to me. I must deliberately do the detail work and chart my progress.

I get to live in the past in my writing, enjoy the people I meet in the present and plan writing projects for the future. Live your life to the fullest and enjoy every moment of it. Don't let one hour in time go un-lived. Life is for living!

Doris
Doris Gaines Rapp