As you know, I am busy getting my YA novel, “Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero” ready for publication. The journey feels long some days and I wish I could share more of where we are in concrete terms. Today, I have something concrete to share with you. I have been EXTREMELY fortunate to have a good friend of mine do the cover for the book. I had always hoped he could do it and when I had the chance to make the introduction between him and my publisher, Lorina, I jumped at the chance. She hired him to do four covers right away and, to my delight, “Mik Murdoch” was one of them. So here it is. The cover for my […]
Read moreAuthor: Michell
Don’t Overlook the Little Things – Notes on Revision
The revision process has been a series of aha moments for me. The latest one has to do with how two of my characters come together and form a bond. The book I’m revising is, of course, “Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero” and the bond I’m talking about is that of a superhero and his sidekick, or, in this case, a boy and his dog. Let me set the stage: Mik has just been given a puppy by his parents. Except, the puppy doesn’t want to do anything except mope around the house. Mik and his mother discuss how the puppy has just been weaned and is homesick. It might help if Mik and the dog spend some quality time together. […]
Read moreAdventures in La La Land
I usually have a laser-like focus for my blogging, podcasting and writing. Note, I said “usually”. Lately, I’ve been feeling pretty scattered. I think it has something to do with work and the number of other projects I’ve got on the go. To make matters worse, when I’m doing something besides my actual writing and revising projects I feel guilty and cannot even enjoy periods of relaxation. So, I decided to step back for a couple days and try to clear my head. The problem is, I stepped too far back and totally forgot to do my regular post. I also owe a couple people guest posts and there is the whole book revision thing too. But, I do think […]
Read moreGet Published Episode 66 – SEO and Self-Promotion with Allison Duncan
I’ve been working on editing my “Mik Murdoch” manuscript and it has proven to be an interesting exercise. I’m already seeing where I have rushed things too much and I have a better understanding about focusing my story. It will be interesting to see what my editor thinks about the changes I’m making. In today’s show, I have some questions from an up-and-coming author I met during the “When Words Collide” convention. She asks about building a website and blogging. I also had the chance to listen to Allison Duncan talk about Search Engine Optimization during the DragonCant virtual convention. I quickly realized how much I had to learn and how important SEO can be to a new author. I […]
Read more