Contrary to my dealings with Facebook, which have not been favorable so far, I am happy with Amazon for having an author page that's rather easy to update. They even let me set up a quick and simple URL so people can easily find me there: www.amazon.com/author/dianemccallum . Thanks, Amazon, for being user-friendly!
Another Shot is off to a slow start, as far as sales go, but that's to be expected. It takes a while for word to spread. Remember that you are part of that: if you've read either of my novels and enjoyed it, please recommend it to your friends, family, co-workers, casual acquaintances, bus drivers, hairdressers, postal carriers, doctors, dentists, etc. I appreciate your support!
I'm thinking about having another book signing, but things are rather hectic around here right now, so it might not be until late March or April. I 'll let you know here and on the Amazon page once I set a date. You should also be able to find it on my Goodreads author page here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6911034.Diane_McCallum?from_search=true
Meanwhile, I'm working on the third novel. This one is going to require more work because I haven't spent as much time on it as the first two novels. We'll see if I can get this one ready by December or January. Stay tuned to this blog for updates!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Yesterday I created a Facebook page for myself as author and I have to say this: it was one of the more frustrating things I've attempted for a while. I will admit that I'm not savvy about social media, but I am reasonably intelligent and I should be able to figure FB out. Not true. I managed to post something, but it stuck a photo in there I didn't want and I don't know how to remove it.
The biggest problem is the URL. You are supposed to be able to set up a custom URL that is easy for people to remember, but each time I try to do this, FB tells me I have to verify my account using a cell phone with SMS capabilities. I don't have such a thing so it appears that I'm out of luck as far as this goes.
As a result, my URL is this ugly thing: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-McCallum-Author/723981777642107
I dare you to memorize that! I had to paste it in a Word document so I can copy and paste it whenever I need it. I've tried FB's Help but it doesn't address this particular issue; it merely tells me how I SHOULD be able to change my URL.
So if you're expecting a lot of activity from me on Facebook, you'll be sorely disappointed. I'm going to stick to this blog and rarely deal with Facebook. Sorry about that.
If anyone has any advice for me, I'll gladly consider it.
The biggest problem is the URL. You are supposed to be able to set up a custom URL that is easy for people to remember, but each time I try to do this, FB tells me I have to verify my account using a cell phone with SMS capabilities. I don't have such a thing so it appears that I'm out of luck as far as this goes.
As a result, my URL is this ugly thing: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-McCallum-Author/723981777642107
I dare you to memorize that! I had to paste it in a Word document so I can copy and paste it whenever I need it. I've tried FB's Help but it doesn't address this particular issue; it merely tells me how I SHOULD be able to change my URL.
So if you're expecting a lot of activity from me on Facebook, you'll be sorely disappointed. I'm going to stick to this blog and rarely deal with Facebook. Sorry about that.
If anyone has any advice for me, I'll gladly consider it.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Characters
I honestly thought I was going to set up a Facebook page this weekend, but Real Life has intruded once again and I'm going to have to postpone it. Someone in my life outside the computer needs some help, and that takes precedence over any social interaction inside the computer.
The same someone suggested this topic when I mentioned that I had no idea what to blog today, so we both helped each other.
This weekend I read a book by an author who has written many novels using a main character and a background character who eventually became another main character. As this author explored the two characters, it was evident what they meant to him because he treated each with respect and curiosity. He gave them a clear view of the world, although each character sees it a bit differently, and he wrote with passion about both of them, as well as the events and people that shaped them. You might say he gave them souls, or he revealed a bit of his own while he wrote about them. This latest novel was about a new character, and while I enjoyed reading it, it didn't seem to have the same heart and poetry as the other novels. Maybe that's just me, but I think the first two characters are more real to him than the new one is, at least so far.
That made me think about my own characters. They are the driving force behind my novels: as I learn more about them, that gives me more stories to tell about them. Whenever I wonder about an aspect of one of the characters, I know I'll be off on a journey to find the answer. For example, I wondered why Nick Bartucci wears that cap all the time, so sooner or later I had to have him tell me (and you). It sounds kind of dumb, but that's how storytelling works: the storyteller wonders about something and then tells the story to answer the question.
I love my characters and I have a lot of fun exploring them. I hope that's clear in my writing. Which of my characters is your favorite? Why? Is there an aspect of one of them that you think I should explore further?
The same someone suggested this topic when I mentioned that I had no idea what to blog today, so we both helped each other.
This weekend I read a book by an author who has written many novels using a main character and a background character who eventually became another main character. As this author explored the two characters, it was evident what they meant to him because he treated each with respect and curiosity. He gave them a clear view of the world, although each character sees it a bit differently, and he wrote with passion about both of them, as well as the events and people that shaped them. You might say he gave them souls, or he revealed a bit of his own while he wrote about them. This latest novel was about a new character, and while I enjoyed reading it, it didn't seem to have the same heart and poetry as the other novels. Maybe that's just me, but I think the first two characters are more real to him than the new one is, at least so far.
That made me think about my own characters. They are the driving force behind my novels: as I learn more about them, that gives me more stories to tell about them. Whenever I wonder about an aspect of one of the characters, I know I'll be off on a journey to find the answer. For example, I wondered why Nick Bartucci wears that cap all the time, so sooner or later I had to have him tell me (and you). It sounds kind of dumb, but that's how storytelling works: the storyteller wonders about something and then tells the story to answer the question.
I love my characters and I have a lot of fun exploring them. I hope that's clear in my writing. Which of my characters is your favorite? Why? Is there an aspect of one of them that you think I should explore further?
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Outsider is Back!
Well, that took less time than I expected! Here's what you'll see at amazon.com now:
Yea! That was much easier than I anticipated. You should be able to buy Outsider in both paperback and Kindle versions now.
And don't forget Another Shot!
Remember, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, so now is the perfect time to grab a book or two for those times when it's too cold to go outside. Tell all of your friends and relatives!
 |
| Status of Outsider on amazon.com Feb. 2, 2014 |
And don't forget Another Shot!
Remember, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, so now is the perfect time to grab a book or two for those times when it's too cold to go outside. Tell all of your friends and relatives!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Outsider Temporarily Unavailable
If you happen to go to amazon.com anytime soon to buy a paperback copy of Outsider, I'm afraid you'll see this message:
It might seem odd that a publish-on-demand book is out of stock, but that's the case because I decided that there were a few too many errors in the book. Once I start the process of uploading a new file to CreateSpace, the book becomes unavailable on Amazon. I'm sorry if this causes you any inconvenience. I started the process today and I hope to have it finished within a week. If you're trying to buy a copy, keep checking back!
While I was at it, I decided I'd better fix the Kindle version, too. That means it might not be available for a short time either.
I want to have the best version I can for sale, so that's why I chose to do this. There weren't any huge errors, just some embarrassing ones, including some missing words, and I wanted to get them fixed.
Because of this, the Facebook page is also on hold. I didn't get any comments about it on this blog, so I assume nobody is holding their breath to see it. I'll get back to that once I get the corrections done to Outsider.
Another Shot is still available in both versions, so feel free to buy a copy. I'll try to make a brief post when Outsider is available again.
Happy February!
 |
| Status of Outsider on amazon.com Feb. 1, 2014 |
While I was at it, I decided I'd better fix the Kindle version, too. That means it might not be available for a short time either.
I want to have the best version I can for sale, so that's why I chose to do this. There weren't any huge errors, just some embarrassing ones, including some missing words, and I wanted to get them fixed.
Because of this, the Facebook page is also on hold. I didn't get any comments about it on this blog, so I assume nobody is holding their breath to see it. I'll get back to that once I get the corrections done to Outsider.
Another Shot is still available in both versions, so feel free to buy a copy. I'll try to make a brief post when Outsider is available again.
Happy February!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Consignment
Sorry I'm a little late posting this. I had hoped to have some social media news, but that might have to wait. (See below for more about that.)
Meanwhile, if you happen to be in the southeast Kansas or southwest Missouri region, you may now buy Another Shot without having to pay shipping costs! Look for it (and Outsider) in the local author section at the Hastings store in Pittsburg, KS, and at Vintage Stock in the Northpark Mall in Joplin, MO. I appreciate both stores and their book managers for offering my two novels. Check them out and shop locally if you can. (Otherwise, you can find both novels on amazon.com.)
I was really hoping to have a Facebook page set up by now, but other events intervened. For one thing, I went to see bald eagles in Stella, MO, over the weekend. Quite a sight! For a town with a population of 158, Stella had a lot to offer birders, including information about eagles, a quilt show, some homemade snacks and quite a few eagles. Adults and juveniles were perched in trees and soaring overhead, chirping to each other. I saw at least 15 of them. It was well worth the drive!
I have a day off from work tomorrow, however, and since it's supposed to turn bone-chilling cold again (what a winter!), I have good reason to stay inside and see if I can master the fine art of creating a Facebook page. I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to spend on it, since I'm sometimes hard-pressed to meet my goal of a blog each weekend, but I've decided to try. I'll let you know next weekend how it went.
What do you think? Any advice? Any suggestions? Please feel free to post comments below and let me know your thoughts (even if it's to tell me I'm crazy to try this).
Thanks for reading!
Meanwhile, if you happen to be in the southeast Kansas or southwest Missouri region, you may now buy Another Shot without having to pay shipping costs! Look for it (and Outsider) in the local author section at the Hastings store in Pittsburg, KS, and at Vintage Stock in the Northpark Mall in Joplin, MO. I appreciate both stores and their book managers for offering my two novels. Check them out and shop locally if you can. (Otherwise, you can find both novels on amazon.com.)
I was really hoping to have a Facebook page set up by now, but other events intervened. For one thing, I went to see bald eagles in Stella, MO, over the weekend. Quite a sight! For a town with a population of 158, Stella had a lot to offer birders, including information about eagles, a quilt show, some homemade snacks and quite a few eagles. Adults and juveniles were perched in trees and soaring overhead, chirping to each other. I saw at least 15 of them. It was well worth the drive!
I have a day off from work tomorrow, however, and since it's supposed to turn bone-chilling cold again (what a winter!), I have good reason to stay inside and see if I can master the fine art of creating a Facebook page. I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to spend on it, since I'm sometimes hard-pressed to meet my goal of a blog each weekend, but I've decided to try. I'll let you know next weekend how it went.
What do you think? Any advice? Any suggestions? Please feel free to post comments below and let me know your thoughts (even if it's to tell me I'm crazy to try this).
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Closet Spaceship Part 4
(Here's another fiction installment.)
Hawkins laughed.
Captain Lamont’s expression didn’t change but I saw a slight twitch in his jaw.
“That doesn’t really answer my questions,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. “My name is Diane McCallum. I came here from Southeast Kansas on a sort of …”
I was going to say “magic” but I decided that was a poor choice of words. I wasn’t in Oz or anything, after all.
“… time-travelling spaceship,” I said.
This time one of the crew members behind me laughed. I was pretty sure I heard at least one release the safety on his weapon, but I kept my eyes on Lamont. He was doing his best to show no emotion but it was clear he didn’t believe me.
“How else could I get on your ship without detection?” I asked.
“Stowaway,” Hawkins said.
“That’s unlikely,” Lamont said.
“More than time travel?” Hawkins asked.
“Where is your ship?” Lamont asked me.
I thought about this for a minute or so. Then I decided it was too late to turn back.
“It’s invisible,” I said.
I heard at least three of the armed men behind me scoff loudly.
“So how do you find it again?” Hawkins asked with a smirk.
“It finds me,” I said. “Usually before I’m ready.”
“I don’t suppose you have any form of identification on you,” Lamont said.
Well, what do you think? Do you keep your driver’s license with you when you’re online?
“No,” I said a little apologetically. Maybe I’d need to consider that in the future, although it would seem a little silly. Besides, I didn’t know how much I could take with me when traveling. I wonder if there’s a weight limit, for instance. Hmmm, I might have to test that sometime. (And before you ask: yes, I was fully clothed. Would you really have asked me that?)
“All right, I’ve heard enough,” Lamont said. “Put our guest in a safe place until we can learn more about her.”
“Come on,” I protested as Hawkins took a step forward. “I’ve made you famous.”
It was more than a bit of exaggeration (sales aren’t that good right now), but I didn’t want to go to a “safe place” at all.
“Excuse me?” Lamont asked.
Too late, I realized they might not want to be famous, given their profession.
“Well, not now,” I explained. “In 2013, I mean.”
“How could we be famous before we did anything?” Thompson asked.
Hawkins chortled. “Time travel, remember? Let’s go.”
He probably meant to take me aft, where I knew there were a couple of rooms with locks on the doors.
“Captain Lamont,” I said.
This got the captain's attention, since he hadn’t introduced himself yet.
“Two things,” I continued. “First, if they still have amazon.com, check me out.” I spelled my name for him.
“And the second thing?” he asked.
“Goodbye,” I said.
I’ll admit it: I didn’t want to be locked up … so I left.
What can I say? Writers can do that kind of thing, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Don't worry: the crew of Outsider will see me again.
(Meanwhile, let's do our best to make them famous, okay? Tell all your friends and relatives to check out the Penumbra series! Thanks for your support.)
I had just been discovered aboard Outsider and the captain had asked me who I was. There
was really nothing to do but say it.
“I’m a
writer,” I said. “From 2013.”Hawkins laughed.
Captain Lamont’s expression didn’t change but I saw a slight twitch in his jaw.
“That doesn’t really answer my questions,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. “My name is Diane McCallum. I came here from Southeast Kansas on a sort of …”
I was going to say “magic” but I decided that was a poor choice of words. I wasn’t in Oz or anything, after all.
“… time-travelling spaceship,” I said.
This time one of the crew members behind me laughed. I was pretty sure I heard at least one release the safety on his weapon, but I kept my eyes on Lamont. He was doing his best to show no emotion but it was clear he didn’t believe me.
“How else could I get on your ship without detection?” I asked.
“Stowaway,” Hawkins said.
“That’s unlikely,” Lamont said.
“More than time travel?” Hawkins asked.
“Where is your ship?” Lamont asked me.
I thought about this for a minute or so. Then I decided it was too late to turn back.
“It’s invisible,” I said.
I heard at least three of the armed men behind me scoff loudly.
“So how do you find it again?” Hawkins asked with a smirk.
“It finds me,” I said. “Usually before I’m ready.”
“I don’t suppose you have any form of identification on you,” Lamont said.
Well, what do you think? Do you keep your driver’s license with you when you’re online?
“No,” I said a little apologetically. Maybe I’d need to consider that in the future, although it would seem a little silly. Besides, I didn’t know how much I could take with me when traveling. I wonder if there’s a weight limit, for instance. Hmmm, I might have to test that sometime. (And before you ask: yes, I was fully clothed. Would you really have asked me that?)
“All right, I’ve heard enough,” Lamont said. “Put our guest in a safe place until we can learn more about her.”
“Come on,” I protested as Hawkins took a step forward. “I’ve made you famous.”
It was more than a bit of exaggeration (sales aren’t that good right now), but I didn’t want to go to a “safe place” at all.
“Excuse me?” Lamont asked.
Too late, I realized they might not want to be famous, given their profession.
“Well, not now,” I explained. “In 2013, I mean.”
“How could we be famous before we did anything?” Thompson asked.
Hawkins chortled. “Time travel, remember? Let’s go.”
He probably meant to take me aft, where I knew there were a couple of rooms with locks on the doors.
“Captain Lamont,” I said.
This got the captain's attention, since he hadn’t introduced himself yet.
“Two things,” I continued. “First, if they still have amazon.com, check me out.” I spelled my name for him.
“And the second thing?” he asked.
“Goodbye,” I said.
I’ll admit it: I didn’t want to be locked up … so I left.
What can I say? Writers can do that kind of thing, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Don't worry: the crew of Outsider will see me again.
(Meanwhile, let's do our best to make them famous, okay? Tell all your friends and relatives to check out the Penumbra series! Thanks for your support.)
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