[Sorry, it’s been a while, here we go~!] I’ve come to realize that I’m THAT friend. Yes, the one you can’t take out in public without something weird or embarrassing unfolding. Granted, in my defense, it’s not intentional but at times it may seem like self sabotage. It happens enough times, that it definitely impacts my ability to make a decision on the second instance it may happen, which leads me to a double-hitter for this VTMAS. My friends are very aware that I enjoy goin

Slightly damaged books happens sometimes. I love CreateSpace because the few times this has happened, they’ve overnight a replacement! Another thing is, when we setup and breakdown for events, or leave our stock in the trunk of our cars, or kids… kids… books get dented, corners and spines frayed, but they’re still good! What now? 1) A giveaway! Author Harper Sloan is a great example of taking advantage and turning this into a promotional tool. Everyone loves contest and freeb

Whether you are a lover of books, book-addict, voracious reader, and just a lover of stories, we can spend a lot of money fast satisfying this thirst. We are the ones who grab up a series and devour it, we love many authors, and can’t wait to get our hands on the next new release. Here’s FIVE ways not only to get your hands on free books, but a chance to get to be among the first to read the new releases! You will discover very fast most of these require a little time from yo

If you missed my workshop with OCLS at the Downtown location, here is a chance to grab a copy of the PDF and/or PowerPoint Show. It was a heavy 2-hour course and we covered a lot of content and questions to help guide your revision efforts. Be sure to “enable outside links” since this does contain 3 YouTube videos. Just in case, I will add those down below and explain what they reflect. Thank you to all who came out to attend and I hope the advise has helped you in your effor

Yesterday, on behalf of Orlando Nanowrimo at the South Trail location for OCLS I had the honor to introduce and inform writers what this “Nanowrimo” thing in November means. I had a great group and it was fun tackling the questions many still had after the presentation. Per my promise, here are links to the PowerPoint I used both in PDF and PPS format via DropBox: PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mkorcxnr4tj4ayu/Nanowrimo%20101%20by%20Valerie%20Willis.pdf?dl=0 PPS: https://www.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.promotionalbooktours.com/2017/08/indie-bookfest-2017/ EXCERPT: Over eighty fabulous authors, panels and workshops for both authors and readers . . . two amazing parties and a huge signing . . . where in the world can you find all of this awesomeness in one event? Indie BookFest, of course! This premier author-reader event, in its fifth year in central Florida, takes place September 28th through October 1 st at the Westin Lake Mary. Indie Boo

This was a question that popped up in one of the many groups I am part of and after leaving a monster-sized response I figured I might want to post about this topic for those who need an answer to this. Not to mention my fellow Author L.E.Perez and I have been discussing this topic all summer long. So here it goes, the Full Monty on Book Covers. BONUS: Author Learning Center posted a clip of me sharing some advice about Book Covers in March 2018: Why Are Book Covers Important

Once more, I want to thank everyone who came out to attend one, if not all my classes on “Writing a Novel 101” at the Orange County Library in Downtown Orlando. I hope I was able to provide tools, knowledge, and inspiration at some point into each of you. Again, do not hesitate to reach out to me, follow my online sites, and know I stay rather active in the literary community. Below is a link to the PDF and PowerPoint Show files from my presentation for your convenience. Belo

Editing should be kept separate from writing. Bottom-line (granted more experienced writers can juggle both, but we are talking about several novels under your belt by this point). It’s easier said than done, I know I have a hard time sticking to this principle, but I can confidently say mixing the two can slow down getting all of your story out, not just by months, but YEARS. You’ve got all the story out in a first draft? Excellent, let me share with you my process and some

What is a Writing Style? It is the most important and precious thing a writer or author owns. This is what helps us illustrate, immerse, and communicate beyond the normal means of writing. The style each of us has textures us as unique in the ocean of authors out there in the world. It is the flavor we experience when we read between Neil Gaiman, Nora Roberts, J.K. Rowling, JRR Tolkien, Stephanie Meyers, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and so on. Not one of their writing styles feel

Recently I have been getting a ton of messages and seeing a large number of questions involving plot. Like many of my writing tip segments, this is my queue to take a moment to do an information dump on the topic in hopes of aiding my fellow writers. Looking over all the plot related conversations and such, I decided that I will start from the very top and work my way from answering what a plot is, discuss plot types, and then point of main versus subplot versus background/wo

I cannot force anyone to write one, or corner readers by giving them a copy IF they promise to write one. It’s not fair, we are all different in how we feel about what we read as well as what they think a review looks like. Just to be clear, Authors look forward to reviews, honest reviews. There are 1-star reviews that dislike a book for all the elements I intentionally wanted in my story. That tells me I did capture that element, and deep down, I expected it to not appeal to

What is Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a pivotal literary device seen in all writing in one shape or form. It can be used in several ways to interact with characters, plot, and even the reader. Examples can be simple and obvious, such as a narrative stating foretold events. You see such a narrative for ‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’ (https://youtu.be/DPzMYtze_kA). I am here to talk about this kind and even the sort of foreshadowing that carries hidden agend

Picture from Pixabay.com by Tabor: https://pixabay.com/en/mountain-world-lake-nature-1062831/ What is Worldbuilding? This is the term used most often in video games and, in the writing world, more often used by the fantasy and science fiction genres than any other. Don’t be fooled, every book, game, and movie has worldbuilding, some are better remembered than others such as comparing movies like Lord of the Rings versus Sulley in terms how in or out of focus the world around

5 out of 5 Fight Like A Girl by Various Authors with Kristell Ink Publishing Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Like-Girl-Juliet-McKenna-ebook/dp/B01CO0OFH2/ Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28524816-fight-like-a-girl B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fight-like-a-girl-joanne-hall/1123520853 OVERVIEW This book is a great collection with many surprises in the short stories inside it’s cover. It will not take you long to see how one story shares an element

Introduction As a writer, we often find ourselves in need of Research. I blame it on the natural curiosity, which drives us to put our stories to paper, a need, a thirst to see where “this” goes. In many of our works, our characters and worlds have elements we have never experienced, things new or oblivious to us, and at times, things we never want to experience. Not all research feels fun, yet other times we fall down a rabbit-hole, coming up for air hours later realizing we

When I was asked to write something for Mental Wellness for #HoldOnToTheLight , I was thrilled. Why? It is the reason why I create and write, to do just that, Hold On To The Light. A spectrum of mental health issues, both my own, family, and friends surrounded me growing up. At first, my writing did not reflect these deep dark pools of human struggle until I reached my high school years when I better understood them. I realized that it was part of living in a tangible world.

Publishing in general is a very scary next step for any writer and their story. Whether you are aiming for Traditional or Self Publishing, there is a mountain of things that have to be done before you are ready for this step. Before allowing yourself to even think about publishing in any shape or form, be sure to have your manuscript well edited and polished. It doesn’t matter if you plan on pitching it to an agent, publisher or self publish; you need a strong, clean, well-wr

As an Independent Author, or Self-Published Author, there are a few obstacles I have to face. Unlike a traditional published or contracted author, I have to be the wearer of many hats such as Graphic Designer, TypeSetter, Writer, Editor, Agent, Publisher, Artist, and the most daunting, Marketer. It can be an overwhelming feat on just one book, let alone several books, even if I paid to have third parties to take some of the hats and their weight off my shoulders. Marketing is

After finishing and polishing my manuscript, I turned my attention to the internet. There were a few things I knew I wanted to be able to do: I want a paperback version eBook – But was unsure of which to lean towards I wanted my book sold on Amazon.com as well as available to big stores like Barnes & Noble and even the Library System! Terms, Agreements, & Small Print I am ok with and allows me to take my work elsewhere when/if the need arises. I want to be able to upload my o