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QUICK UPDATE:
Dream Weaver has taken the #1 spot on Listopia in:
And Top 5 in:
And...
Rock Star has taken the #1 spot on Listopia in:
And Top 3 in:
Your votes would be greatly appreciated on the lists above to keep them on top; and on the following lists to boost both books to the top 5 where they get a little more attention on Goodreads:
Dream Weaver
Rock Star
HERE WE GO! HERE WE GO!
OK! So now the business is over--let's get on to the fun part. Anyone who's been around here for a while will remember an interview I did with a young woman named Liz DeJesus. At the time, Liz's first book, First Frost had just come out. Now, exciting things are happening in the life of this word crafter that I wanted to share with you. So...let's move on to Liz's exciting news!
I GIVE YOU MISS LIZ DEJESUS
Liz, a lot
has happened since you were featured on Dream Weaver Novels last. You had just
released First Frost. Tell us what’s been going on since then.
I know! I
still can’t believe it’s been that long. Things have been wonderful. Glass
Frost was released on July 19th 2013 and has received fantastic
reviews. I also have a short story that was in an anthology titled Someone
Wicked (published through Smart Rhino
Publications and features members of The
Written Remains Writing Guild).
Very
exciting stuff! Any advice for other indie authors?
Always read
your contract before signing on the dotted line. Don’t be afraid to ask
questions. Learn how to use social media to promote yourself online, it’s an
important tool to have in your arsenal. Don’t bash other authors, the only
person looking bad is you. Be friendly and do your best to share other authors’
good news on your facebook page and twitter. Other authors will return the
favor, trust me, it’s what has worked for me.
And what do
you have coming up?
I have a
horror novel titled Morgan
that will be released in the Summer of 2014 through Indie Gypsy Press. It’s sort of a love story
between a werewolf and a centuries old vampire.
I’m working
on book #3 of the Frost series (tentatively titled Shattered Frost) and I’m
also working on my very first comic book series titled Zombie
Ever After. This comic book will be published through Emerald Star Comics and the
artwork will be done by Mik Jimenez and the colors are by Lynn Kranz.
I’m also in
another anthology titled Latina
Authors and Their Muses, it will be published by Twilight Times Books in
March/April 2014. This was put together by Mayra Calvani and it will feature a
lot of incredibly talented Latin authors. So I’m really looking forward to this
little book’s release.
What do you
think has been your best promotional tool for your books?
Blog tours.
Contacting reviewers and bloggers to read and review my books. I strongly
believe that bloggers are an indie authors bread and butter. They’re the ones
that take the time to read books and let all their followers know that your
book even exists.
Any
new/upcoming indie authors that have captured your attention?
Definitely
Esther Wheelmaker (aka Elizabeth Kolodziej), she writes zombie steampunk novels.
Her latest release is titled Gravely
Inanimated. And J. Alex Blane, he writes African-American Romance/Suspense
novels. His first novel is titled Where
We Left Off, and he’s currently working on the sequel. I know them both
personally and they are incredible people and amazingly talented authors.
If I
understand right, you’re with a small publishing house. What do you think are
the pros and cons of working them? And how did you connect with them?
You are
correct. My Frost Series (First
Frost and Glass
Frost) are all published through Musa
Publishing and I honestly can’t remember how I found them. I’m pretty sure
I stumbled upon them through a writing forum, because they were brand new and
people were asking questions about them. So curiosity got the best of me and I
decided to check out their site and I liked what I saw. I’m glad I took a
chance with them.
Indy Gypsy Press, has published two of my short
stories in two different anthologies: Night
Gypsy and Stories
in the Key of Erotica (under the pen name of Isabelle Rose). I have known
the owner for ten years and she invited me to be a part of both anthologies.
She’s also publishing my upcoming horror novel Morgan.
And Emerald
Star Comics was another publisher I discovered by poking around the internet
looking for indie comic book publishers.
Pros: I love
indie publishers! It’s like a small family. Everyone is working toward the same
goal. It’s super friendly. I send emails and hear back from them right away.
Higher royalties.
Cons:
There’s a bit of a stigma against indie publishers. People assume that just
because it’s a small publisher that it’s poor quality and it’s the furthest
thing from the truth. The publishers I work with have cover designers, editors,
interns, and people working to promote all of these books to the best of their
ability.
Another con
would be that we don’t have the same distribution as the bigger publishers do.
My books won’t be on the shelves of every single brick and mortar store (unless
I have a book signing or something like that).
But I
wouldn’t change anything. Every single book that I’ve published is a step
closer toward my goal of becoming a better writer. Every single book is a
stepping stone and I’ve learned so much from every single editor that I’ve had
the pleasure of working with. And now I get to add comic book author to my
resume! That’s a dream come true for me.
Wow! Thanks for that great info. That is really helpful to indies considering a small publishing house. OK, so I know
you’re a fan of Marissa Meyer! I think that’s how I discovered you, isn’t it?
Who else do you enjoy reading? If you have time for reading.
I LOVE
Marissa Meyer!! I’m still blown away that she even mentioned me in your
interview. :D I read Cress when it came out on February 4th, took me
two days to read it. LOL. I will read just about anything as long as it’s
interesting. I read Splintered by A.G. Howard, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte,
Jane by April Lindner, and I also enjoy anything by Jill Mansell. My tastes in books are
all over the map. LOL
I like to
keep interviews fairly short and sweet, so I’ll end with this: If I gave you a
Y shaped tree branch, an old leather shoe, and a discarded tire tube…what kind
of story would you write?
Probably a
fantasy novel about a boy that can travel 5 minutes into the past by jumping
through the tire tube. He uses the old leather shoe to find his way back home
and the Y shaped tree branch is a lie detector.
Perfect! Maybe you'll have to write another short story with that idea. Is there anything
else you want readers to know?
I know some
of you are waiting for Shattered Frost and I’m writing as fast as I can. It
probably won’t be ready until next year but hopefully it’ll be worth the wait.
 |
| Soooo Cool! |
Where can
readers stalk…I mean, find you?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizdejesus
Novel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FirstFrost1
Website: www.lizdejesus.com
Twitter
link: https://twitter.com/Liz_DeJesus23
Buy Links: http://www.amazon.com/Liz-DeJesus/e/B004HJN9YY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1392585511&sr=8-1
Any other
links: http://liz-dejesus.livejournal.com/
Liz, thank so much for
your time and visiting with us today. You've shared a lot of great info that may help some of the visitors to my blog. I wish you the best in all of the great adventures before you! Happy writing!
And thank you especially to all the visitors that took a minute to drop by! I truly appreciate each one of you. It's encouraging daily to see the Dream Weaver fan base growing.
As always...
Dare to Dream!
Su
I haven't posted any of my own pics lately, so in the hope for quick journey to Spring....
