TBR Tuesday: OPEN MINDS - Happy Release Day!!

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of reading the query letter for this story on YAlitchat. I remember being blown away. So when I heard that Susan Kaye Quinn decided to self-publishing it, taking the story's circulation in her hands, I couldn't wait to chat with her about. And I'm leaving out how excited I've been to get my hands on it!

But the wait is over!

Please join me in wishing a Happy Book Birthday to OPEN MINDS (the first in the Mindjack Trilogy) and Susan Kaye Quinn! Today is release day!

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.


Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can't read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can't be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf's mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she's dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

Susan's book is available in e-book form at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, and in print through Amazon and Createspace. ALSO, check out her website for the book - Mindjack Trilogy. It's awesome!

I'm fortunate enough to be a part of the OPEN MINDS book blog tour. If you'd like to know more--and trust me, you want be sorry--head over to MY POST and see what else Susan has to say about a world of mindreaders.

Whoseywhatsit Thursday: Computers

I have the world's crappiest computer.

Okay, that's total hyperbole, but seriously.  For a writer, my computer is utter crap.  About two years ago, I went through Computer Hell: my laptop died, I managed to get everything off of it, then my (seriously old) desktop wouldn't hook up the the internet, so a friend gave me an old PC computer she wasn't using (she'd switched to Mac), THAT computer had a sleeper virus on it, and everything on it had to be erased.

So here I am, with a computer that works, but can't really be trusted online, and doesn't have sound anymore (got deleted--don't ask), and a desktop that runs like a snail.  o.O

My birthday is coming up, and my husband wants to get me a computer, so now I am left with the age-old question:

Mac or PC?

Here's where I really have a dilemma.  I have a friend whose husband's job sells gently-used MacBooks.  But we have no idea when that will happen.  Could be soon, could be six months from now.

I have heard all the arguments about Macs being better, and how much most writers love their Macs.  But I definitely can't afford a new one.  And, although I know they're better, I am more familiar with PCs and I'm comfortable with them. 

Then again, my last new PC only lasted three years before it completely died on me, and my parents have a Mac so old the guys at the Apple Store were flabbergasted.

So what should I do, O readers?  Get a new PC laptop?  Wait for the bargain gently used one?  Sacrifice a chicken?

Tell me and share what computer you use in the comments!

Writer's Wednesday: Forming Your Own Publishing House

As many of you know, I'm in the throes of self-publishing my novel.  I had MANY author friends (including my Oasis Sisters) to lean on for help and guidance, so I thought I'd share some of what I've learned with any of you considering the same route.

One of the first things you may be wondering if you're thinking about self-publishing is why some authors take the time to set up a "publishing house," which is really nothing more than themselves.

Why bother with this, you may ask?  A number of reasons.

*  Added credibility.  Your publisher on Goodreads and Amazon won't be listed as CreateSpace or whoever else you use to print your novels.  You get to fill a publisher's name in the blank.  (With so many big houses having lesser-known imprints these days, most readers probably won't take time to distinguish you from them.)

*  You can purchase your own ISBN number.  Many companies that want to sell you an ISBN charge a huge mark-up.  The process is pretty painless and it's worth it to DIY.  Plus, you are not truly the publisher unless you purchase the ISBN yourself.

*  When you're setting up accounts with Amazon or Lightning Source, etc., they want a business name.  My Amazon user ID (like a stock symbol) is based on my publishing name, not Jessie Harrell.  It's my belief that having a publishing name makes the application process for these companies easier.

*  When you're ready to put your second, third, fourth, novels out there, you can publish them under a unified banner.  Once your "company" has multiple titles, it will be easier to get into the catalogs for Expended Distribution or be considered for purchase by libraries, etc.

*  Vanity.  If I'm being honest, I like that there's a publisher's name on the spine of my book and on the title page.  I endeavored to make my novel as closely resemble a traditionally-published novel as I could, and this just made it one step closer for me.

In case you're curious, my publishing name is Mae Day Publishing (can you tell I thought I'd need rescue?)  To do this, I registered my fictitious name with the State and ran an inexpensive ad in the local paper.  Blamo.  Now I'm a publisher.  I even got really cutesy and drew myself a logo -- this is my boss' dog, Mae, the paper-eating pooch who was really the inspiration for the name.

Got any questions?  I'm happy to drop by and answer them throughout the day.  Writers helping writers -- I'm just paying it forward.

Anyone have any other really compelling reasons to create your own publishing company before you self publish? Please share!