Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Today's Book Tour - Kacey's Konnections


Visit my Main Site



Hi everyone!
If you get the chance today, please stop by and visit. This was a fun interview! Andrew P Weston

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Today's Book Tour - Book Travels


Photobucket
http://booktravels.blogspot.com.br/

Please drop by and see what they have to ask. I enjoyed this interview very much.

Have a great day!

Andrew

Todays tour - Books-n-Kisses


Books-n-Kisses

http://www.books-n-kisses.com/

Hello everyone - just to let you know that today I'm being interviewed by Book-n-Kisses.

Drop by and see how it goes AND of course what else is on offer.

Andrew

Monday, June 4, 2012

Pitch Tour - You Gotta Read Reviews


Hi everyone - Don't forget - later today I have a gust blogspot/interview over at You Gotta Read, arranged through, Sizzling PR



http://yougottaread.com/

Feel free to drop by and find out more about my 1st release Fairy Tail


And then of course, find out a little bit more about me!... (It won't take long!) ha ha
See you there,
                      Andrew P Weston

Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Joys of Editing -

So, you see yourself as an editor eh?


Then welcome to a very special, select world of those who want to be certified! - Seriously.

If you think you'd be a great editor because you love to read, think again. There's much, much more to it than that. Despite keeping busy with a number of writing projects on the go, I still love to read.
But I'd never be an editor...why?

Their main job is to make the writer's message clear, accurate and presentable. Yes, proofreading does come into it, (Looking for typo's - errors - format etc) and they are keen to ensure the five "C's" are adhered to: is it Clear; Correct; Concise; Comprehensible & Consistent...

But, unless you have ever seen or experienced the editing process..WOW! you'll get a shock.
(Now - I'm going to seriously simplify the following)
I was so relieved my first experience was on a short story.

You send off your spankingly brand new, polished and shiny work of pristine art to the publisher. You think..."Oooh, its looks wonderful!" - and it does. Flowing down the page in graceful black and white, easy on the eye, smooooothly graceful to follow...

Then you enter the editing stage...And if your'e not a computer literate technophobe - (like me) this is where you start to panic.
Your gleaming example of pride an joy comes back looking as if it's been in a cagefight! Covered - in my case - in ruby red horror!
The editor has to do their job. Make/suggest changes - improve clarity - improve impact & flow - make meaning clear and improve the 'readability' of the story. But you'd never guess that to look at your baby sitting there on your computer screen, whimpering to you for a hug!
You'll already be sweating, as you former work of art is now covered in red highlights, underlining, tabs and bubbles, giving all sorts of useful suggestions.

Okay - take a deep breath - wipe your palms - look at the next stage. Instructions!

Directions like, - Ensure "Track Changes" is on in Compatability Mode - Ensure the "Review" tab is highlighted - look for the "Accept/Reject" function... just make your palms start to sweat again.

If you've never heard of these before, you think Huh? And work your way laboriously through the tabs, to ensure you get the right things up. Okay, now what do I do?

Accept or reject the changes.
Theres a wonderful button for this, where all the pain can be miraculously wiped away. But careful... If you accept, you glorious work starts to revert to its former glory...if you reject - it stays red, if you dare to make a change - it goes blue! You feel like your abusing the one you love!
But - it's not just you that has to read it. Because you send it back!

Now what the editor has to contend with, isn't a graceful work of art in flowing easy to read black and white. What was once resting on the eyes now explodes from the page in a confusion of red (with tasteful grey undertones in some cases) suggestions, bubbles, phrases and re-written ideas, confusingly jumbled together with royal blue suggestions, phrases and re-writes from you!
(Now, as I say, I've really simplified this)

Basically - imagine trying to read a story you've REALLY been looking forward to, if its covered in confusing red and blue suggestions, corrections, underlining, lines leading to bubbles containing thoughts/ideas etc, that constantly confuse the eye & take you away from what you're trying to read.
(I was going to paste in a spoof example onto the page - but I didnt want to scare you....) If you're an aspiring writer, you've got to discover this joy for yourself.

Imagine VOLUNTEERING to submit yourself to that on a regular basis! That's why editors live in special houses with padded wallpaper and wear wonderfully tailored jackets with wraparound sleeves... nice!
So the next time you're out shopping and somebody cut's you up on the way, or you find them standing in the aisle studying the wording on a can of soup and muttering to themselves with red pen in hand, or even, if you find them hiding in the fetal position inside a freezer sucking their thumb - spare a thought, it might be my editor contending with another fine mess and they're having a bit of a stressful day.
Take care now - have a nice day Lacey :)

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Pitch Tour - June


Hi everyone - watch out for the following dates throughout June when I shall be taking part in a number of interviews, arranged through - "Sizzling PR"



Tour: Fairy Tail by Andrew P. Weston


June
5 – Interview @ You Gotta Read
6 – Interview @ Books-n-Kisses
7 – Interview @ Book Travles
13 – Interview @ Kacey Hammell
14 – Spotlight@ Storm Goddess Book Reviews
21 – Interview & Giveaway @ Fictional Candy
25 – Guest Blog @ Picked by Poison

I look forward to highlighting each interview as they happen and hope you enjoy them.

See you soon

Andrew P Weston
 

Friday, May 25, 2012

So - What's Happening Now?

Well, the truth is - once all the hype dies down, you get used to the everyday "real-life" routine of an author.

What books/stories are currently out? In my case - "Fairy Tail"

What promotions are taking place? - the following link will highlight a forthcoming tour - http://sizzlingpr.com/2012/04/29/tour-fairy-tale-by-andrew-p-weston/




The tour has been arranged by one of the Co-Owners of Ruby Lioness Press - Marissa Dobson and I will be doing little "spots" & interviews on different blogs throughout June, starting on June 5th!
(Stop by and take a look).

I'm also glad to say I've just received my own Kindle - so I will be getting some copies for little prizes here and there.

What books/stories are due in 2012? In my case, "Guardian Angels" & "Love Bite"

What promotions are taking place? - In addition to the usual promotions and interviews running through Ruby Lioness Press, there will be a number of releases and promotional entries in the September, October, November & December editions of Police Magazine (Nationwide)(and the online version)


 Also in Firefighter Nation (Nationwide)(and the online version) for Guardian Angels in particular.



Obviously, when you set these things up, you discover how much work goes into preparing interviews / meet the author etc etc, and it's very time consuming.

In addition to all that, I will soon be entering the editing phase for Guardian Angels and Love Bite - so - that takes up even more time.
Why am I mentioning TIME so much?

Well, if you remember from a previous blog, I have a deadline I'm working towards for the first book of a new trilogy - Book 1 of the Cambion Journals - The Rage of Augustus.
That book is due for submission in December 2012.
Sounds a long way off?
Well, as more experienced authors and editors will tell you, that's not long at all, especially with promotions, tours, advertising AND EDITS queuing up, one after the other....
And - it's not just a question of "finishing" the first draft either.
You have to read through it again, and re-draft it.
Then you polish it, so it's close to what you want.
Then you have it proof read.
Then you tweak it again!
THEN you send it to your Publisher...
And don't forget...
I'm also pottering along with "Fairy Tails" the sequel to my first release...AND, there's "Fallen Angels", book 3 of the Guardian Series! (Although with that one, I'm very fortunate. Book 2 is in with Ruby Lioness Press already, so it gives me time to put it on a back burner until after the initial Cambion book is completed.)

So - what's happening now?
As you can see - quite a lot! (And you still get the sense your "waiting" for something to happen!) ha ha - seriously! - ask any other author, they'll tell you the same...
So,
I like to think of my life as a cocktail at the moment.
1 part excitement - 2 parts anticipation - 3 parts frustration - 4 parts rushing around getting umpteen background things done when it all starts - Shake well, then add 10 parts coffee (with a dash of alcohol on particularly frustrating days) and knock it back in one...ta-dah!

Next time...(And this is one for aspiring authors in particular).
The joys of editing (And why you know anyone who wants to be an editor must have escaped from an asylum).......YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE....... Oh yes!... stay tuned....