What about Text-To-Speech?

I know it is a bold statement to make. Text-to-speech is good for a great many things,  but one I never thought to use it for came to me last night.
Proofreading.
Sounds so simple that I should have thought of it already? Why try to re-read your manuscript out loud when something can do it for you. Now you can listen to what you wrote while running errands or the dishes (if they piled up while writing and trust me they do). Sometimes a friend will let you know how your book is, but that takes time away from them and they sometimes don’t always read quickly. I am not saying a fresh perspective on what you wrote isn’t worth the time; however, hearing what you wrote first might save your friend’s writing hand from cramping after noting all the incorrect uses of grammar.
Some places say to use a text-to-speech for creating audio books. For me it sounds too monotone to be enjoyed properly. Better to have a real voice create the emotional points and hear a flat voice try to express excitement. If nothing else please consider using one of the many text-to-speech programs out there being offered for free. It will save you endless hours of editing the manuscript or help you simplify a sentence.

The Waiting is Almost Over.

Time is growing short as I wait to see where Temperature: Dead and Rising will end up. The 15th Annual IPPY Awards is in the final stages of judging with the first bit of news available May 5th. My skin is crawling with anticipation of where my debut novel will place. A sneak peek would do about now.
This is one of two entries I am waiting to here from. The second ends in October called The 19th Annual Writer's Digest. It will be a wild ride waiting for that date to come around. I will be updating this blog and the other sites as much as I can as the details come in. Good luck to anyone else that entered.

Something Every Indie Author Should Know

I hope to join the ranks of these other indie start-ups sharing their individual projects collectively through a site called KickStarter. This website offers a chance to make dreams come true for those that have a vision. To share what my vision is visit my Temperature Series Project for more information.
I worked hard to self publish my first novel and promote it. I used every bit of cash I had (even scrounged between the cushions) to get the money up without asking a soul to help. Now I hope to find generous people out in the world to support me in my endeavors this time.
Check out my project, moreover, please take a look at some of the other up-and-coming talent who’ve posted their wares for all to see. KickStarter is trying to help us all and I am thankful for their own vision to help others fulfill a dream. If my goal isn’t reached I will not see a dime. That is the long and short of it for any of us trying to find backers. I am willing to drop my standards of getting a better novel out than my last one (mainly because I could only afford one copyediting service) if I can’t pull off this project.
I am not a pessimist in thinking I might not get the funds to produce a second published novel – I just have a backup plan if this doesn’t pan out.
As far as self publishing goes, I will choose a different publisher with e-book services and possibly audio book formats. My first self publisher, CreateSpace, is a good company to go through and have nothing to complain about. I would like more for my money though. Lightning Source has a list of self publishers to consider if you are in the market to publish your own manuscript. Beyond that, I have nothing to offer when it comes to marketing anything. Best of luck to anyone reading this.

BookPros[e]: The Undead Trend Continues

This is a great article about the trends currently flowing out there.

Opening to 2nd novel (sort of)

The opening paragraph for the second novel is (and could very well change at any time):
'Hell will have a hard time finding them when I catch up', Bocnic fumed with fire in his eyes with that thought pounding in his skull; the song ‘Wars’ from Hurt still rebounding in his mind. It might not have been one of Sally’s premonitions speaking to him, but it fit all too well for him to ignore it.
I have a lot more typed up than this, but wanted to give a taste of what's coming. For now, you can catch up with the story by reading the first in the series.

Upcoming Book Signing

The next best thing in my life - a book signing. And not just some random one I set up myself on the corner either. Nope, a bona fide contract signed for April 16, 2011 at Barnes & Noble in Tallahassee, FL. between 2pm and 4pm.
This is a big step for me as I attempt to promote my first novel and continue writing the second (due out later this year). It is hard to imagine standing in a major bookstore and people coming up to me for an autograph, just too surreal. Writing the book had a single goal: make it available to everyone. I have done what I set out to do with a backstage interest of selling the title. To my amazement people have left reviews on Goodreads about how much they enjoyed it. This prompted me to reach out to the public through book signings.
Barnes & Noble sent me an email proclaiming their annual book signing event coming up in two months. The only other event I had been apart of was back in February for a library function. This, by no means, was a small ordeal. It was my first taste of public speaking centered around my novel. Now I will promote it again in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Several authors will be there vying for attention amongst the books on the shelves and the other actual authors standing around with pens at the ready. Only two hours for all of us to sell as much as we can in the short time allowed. Sounds more like a high stakes game show than a book signing when I say it that way...
All I really wanted to do was ask people to do is stop by and say hi. With that, I will post pictures of the event at my author's webpage.

Reviews of Temperature: Dead+Rising