Greetings readers,

LOM:PA has been reviewed by its first critic at reader’s favorite, you can find all the details here:

http://readersfavorite.com/cat-71.htm?review=2947

I will begin writing the sequel soon and will post when the work really begins. This is when you should expect a lot of content and updates as I write.

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Greetings to all, and what a fabulous night we had!

Here are some of the pictures from the event, with many more to come (and will be updated in this post)

[pe2-gallery class="alignleft" ] [/pe2-gallery]

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Legends of Marithia Book Launch Party @ Kedron-Wavell Services Club (Community Room)

Single ticket (1 x Softcover book included worth $32.99) = $60.99
Single ticket (1 x Hardcover book included worth $49.99) = $66.95
Couples ticket (1 x Softcover book included worth $32.99) = $101.99
Couples ticket (1 x Hardcover book included worth $49.99) = $107.95
Bookless ticket = $40.99

Hardcover tickets no longer available

Only 10 softcover tickets remain and bookless tickets, which are on sale until Friday Feb 26th. To order a couples ticket, simply buy 1 x single softcover and add 1 x bookless.

Ticket price includes:
·         Signed Hardcover or Softcover copy of ‘Legends of Marithia: Prophecies Awakening’
·         Live entertainment

Songs played live at the event will include artists such as:
Robbie Williams, Sam Sparro, Christina Aguilera, Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Rhianna,
Pink, Michael Jackson, U2, Wes Carr, Rob Thomas, Amy Whinehouse, and much more!

·         Marithia Art Gallery with official artist, Nicola Mcintosh.
·         Private Community Room away from the public
·         Fully catered with Deluxe Canapés (choice of 6 – Will cater for vegetarians and gluten free)
·         Fully open bar (Cash Bar, no bar tab included in pricing)
·         An entry to win a prize worth $120.00 of an A2 drawing of “Kassina” for Peter Koevari’s novel ‘Prophecies Awakening’ (but not included inside the novel)- printed using the highest quality Giclee inks, printed on quality, heavy weight Hahnemuhle paper. This will be given out on the night! (Details of the image can be found here )

Partners & Friends: Invited
Dress Code: Evening Wear / Formal
Time: 7pm-late
Date: Friday, 5th March
Parking: FREE at the club

If you already own a copy of the book, or you would like to celebrate but not buy the book yet, you can still come!
-=FAQs=-

Q) Are you doing this again?
A) This will be the LAST time/opportunity I will be doing any book signings, and this will be the ONLY party. Signed versions of my books will be a unique item and by me not doing any more signings, it keeps those books exclusive.

Q) Will you be addressing the party? Will there be a speech, etc?
A) I’m considering a “brief hints to get published” presentation to help anyone out there who wants to write and get published, but this may come in the form of a printed copy. I will likely quickly address everyone on the night, but don’t expect to be bored to death by a long speech… I won’t be doing that. If people want to know more about my book, writing, etc… they can talk to me.

Q) Will there be any surprises / entertainment on the night?
A) I am working on an exclusive video to be screened on the night, but equipment may not be available… in which case I will seek alternative methods of delivery. I have lots of ideas though. Nicola will bring her artwork for exhibition at the party, purchasing of artwork would be a conversation with her. There may be more special surprises / door prize / extras in store for anyone who comes, all depends on numbers, staffing, resources, and what I can organise in time.

Q) How will payments and tickets be managed?
A) Everything is now handled online through EVENTSBOT and PAYPAL. Ticket buying made easy

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Your book’s finished manuscript is before you in all its glory. Take a moment to celebrate what you have done, as you have achieved what 95% of writers never can. The question I asked myself at this point was, what now? The bad news is, you have a lot of work ahead of you.

Everybody has their own methods for making their manuscript publishable. What does “Publishable” mean? To me, a book is not publishable until it is as free from errors, grammatical errors, plot holes, inconsistencies, spelling mistakes, etc as possible.

I say “as possible”, as perfection in every possible way is a target which is unattainable. Throughout the process of turning my first draft of Legends of Marithia: Prophecies Awakening into its final version, I learned a lot. Most of this was from making mistakes, learning from others, and of course… having to make some sacrifices in order to make my book of the highest quality possible.

Now let’s get to the nuts and bolts of the process.

I will list this for you in steps of what I will do when I finish my manuscript of the second book in the Legends of Marithia series. By the end of this, you will look back at your first manuscript and you will literally cringe, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

1) Revise

I don’t mean to harp on about this, but you need to go over your work. Start being clinical and pedantic. Check every word, sentence, and paragraph of every page for:

• Spelling errors that your spell check will not pick up. This may surprise you but if a word spells correctly in the dictionary, but it is completely incorrect in the sentence, 9 times out of 10 it will not show up in spell check. Example: This line contains and hard to find error.
• Grammatical and punctuation errors. If you are serious about your writing, then this is mostly a cost-saving exercise before your proofreader gets their hands on your manuscript. Find as many as you can as your time invested is your money kept in your pocket.
• Dialog punctuation errors. The most common of all mistakes I see is incorrectly punctuated dialog, look up guidelines on this and do your best to follow them.
• Capitalization errors. Although this may be classed as a grey area, it is incredibly important. Be careful of what you capitalize and when.

2) Revise Again!

I can hear you all groaning, but revise your manuscript again as you missed corrections on your first run (trust me).

3) Read the book carefully (Put your readers’ hat on)

This time, you need to sit back and read your story. Think about the following:

• Are you stopping at certain points in the story, confused about what was written?
• Are you finding yourself wanting to change the way you described something? Change it!
• Are your characters being consistent with their personalities or the storyline?
• Do you find yourself getting excited by a part of your story, but then being abruptly taken to a new chapter? Elaborate your story
• Is something happening in your story that is conflicting with something you read earlier? Change it!

3) Revise Again!

After reading your story, I would be completely shocked beyond belief if you didn’t make changes or elaborate your story. So, revise all of your work again (Repeat steps 1-2). Am I beginning to sound like a drill sargeant? We have barely gotten started.

4) Give your book to someone else to a reader

This is a heart wrenching moment, but you have to do it. If your work is not good enough for you to choose your reader, you should not publish it to the general public.

Ask your reader if they are prepared to invest the time to provide you feedback chapter by chapter, positive and constructive.

IMPORTANT! Do not under any circumstances give your book to a family member or a close friend with the expectation of feedback or improving your book. The last thing you need is someone handing your book back and saying “Wow, that was amazing! Everything is perfect!” because they are not telling you the truth!

I prefer to ask readers to read my book who love the genre I am writing in. Someone who is willing to think of your book along with a long line of established and professional authors. Why? Because they will be tougher on your book than anyone else. If your book stinks, they will tell you. If something’s wrong in your story, they will tell you. If something’s great, they will really enjoy reading that.

If you’re feeling particularly game, give it to a few readers.

As you get your feedback, edit your book one chapter at a time. This should be brutal, so be prepared to put your ego aside and put your listening ears on. The aim of this is to better your story and your writing, remember that. I know how tough it was for me to read feedback on my own book, so I know the pain your will feel.

5) Revise, Again!

Don’t hate the rules, but you need to go through steps 1-2 all over again.

6) Now give it to a professional proofreader/line editor

You have invested a lot of time and effort into your book, and now it is time for you to put some of your money on the line for your book (if you haven’t already). Yes, this cost will hurt your pocket but it will take your book to a whole new level.

Find a good proofreader/line editor and hand over your manuscript.

7) Done!

You are only now ready to begin submitting your manuscript to traditional publishing houses or print-on-demand publishers (which is what I opted for, but that will also cost you money).

Be prepared, if you get your “Publishable” manuscript in the hands of a publishing house editor, then you will have even more work ahead of you, but if you get that far then you have achieved another success.

Traditional vs POD publishing is a much debated topic with divided opinions. However, traditional publishing houses only print a small number of books and they get an incredibly large amount of submissions. It is a case of time vs money.

I will leave that topic to another day, good luck to all fellow writers out there.

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“Just relax and let your mind go blank. That shouldn’t be too hard for you”

This is the best advice I can give you when you strap in for the breathtaking rollercoaster ride that is Avatar. It has been a very long time since i’ve seen a film that has had me grinning from ear to ear, and continually delivering those “wow” moments.

Forget all the criticism, take a deep breath and let yourself be immersed into Pandora. It is a world of immense beauty, unbelievable detail, and is the setting for what I believe to be one of the best story lines I have seen in a long time.

James Cameron is back, and every director from this day forward will be having nightmares of their movie reviews saying things like, “It’s not Avatar”, “The effects are ok, but nowhere near the quality of Avatar”. Forget everything you have seen before Avatar, because every other film you have seen will look pale in comparison.

James has delivered a nuclear weapon of film-making that will blow your mind. Life has been found on the moon of a gas planet far from our universe, called Pandora. On Pandora is a super-expensive energy resource called “Unobtanium”, which humans are mining.

There is an atmosphere on Pandora, but humans are unable to breathe it without a special mask. Locals, the Na’Vi, are a tall blue human-like civilisation who live in the jungle. To communicate with them, humans have bioengineered Avatars, which are made by a mix of human and Na’Vi DNA. Humans control these Avatars through a special machine that is connected to their Avatar. They can use those Avatars to explore Pandora. Imagine a MMORPG “avatar” (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) and you’re getting the idea.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a hardened marine that is also a paraplegic as the result of combat back on Earth. His twin brother was a scientist who was a part of the Avatar program, and it just so happens that Jake’s DNA also matches the Avatar grown from his twin. He enters Pandora from a Cryosleep transporter with no training, but an offer. He can use the Avatar and become part of that program to explore Pandora with a fully functioning body, and have the use of legs again.

Sigourney Weaver fills the role of the lead scientist, and it is nice to see Sigourney back in another sci-fi epic. There are many strong actors in Avatar. Stephen Lang and Michelle Rodrieguez to name a few.

Pandora is a strange but beautiful place that is filled with danger. But the real danger is humans, the corporation, who want to move the Na’Vi from their home ground as they are sitting on the largest deposit of Unobtanium.

Sully finds himself in the Na’vi tribe and over time, falls in love with one of the Na’Vi, Neytiri (Amazingly played by Zoe Saldana). This leads to the best 20 minutes of a sci-fi conflict I have ever seen.

James Cameron brings detail, benchmark-setting CGI, and amazing touches to set Avatar apart from every movie that has been produced to date. His 400+ million budget was very well spent, and you will find yourself looking at Na’vi as if they actually existed. Gone are the tell-tale signs of CGI that made it easy to spot. I was waiting for flaws in the entirety of the movie, and found none.

If you can see it in 3-D, make sure you do so. 2-D would be amazing, but 3-D is a whole new world. James makes incredibly good use of 3-D in ways you have not seen before. The best part of 3-D was that I quickly forgot that i was watching it in a third dimension. There are no “cheesy” shots done only for 3-D.

If I was able to rate this a 6/5, I would. But this gets a solid 5 stars from me. You cannot afford to miss this movie on the big screen.

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Are you finding it hard to write and create characters in your story? You’re not alone.

Characters were one of the most difficult hurdles for me to jump over before I began writing Prophecies Awakening. For years, the character process eluded me, and as a result I would find myself parked on writer’s block before I even started the engine.

Everyone has their own methods for this process, but I will share with you what worked for me.

When I write, I have a movie-version of my story playing “live” in my head. Without a visual of the characters, it can leave you with a fuzzy image and blurred faces similar to Cops videos, but without all the terrible voice overs.

How do you overcome this?

What you do NOT want to do is to picture a character from a movie in your book, as this will lead you into writing a character that people will recognise from another work of fiction and you would be doing yourself a disservice.

For me, I began by making a list of the characters I knew would be in my book and then begin listing the attributes I want each character to have. For this example, I will use Kassina.

My first attempt would look something like this:

Kassina

(As you can see, the amazing artwork done by artist Nicola Mcintosh shows that I was able to capture and grow Kassina in words, and of course describe her in detail to Nicola. I found myself face-to-face with Kassina)

* Dangerous

* Sexy

* Tall

* Sorceress

* Vampire

* Captivating

So then, I begin what I call a “casting” process and begin sifting through my mind of someone that I would “cast” into that role.

In your mind, sift through the people you know including celebrities and find someone that you would cast. For Kassina, it could only be Angelina Jolie.

As you begin writing, you will become more familiar with the character and this will allow you to easily write scenes where you would be digging through your mind for answers on personality traits, physical appearance, etc. Strange and wonderful things will happen as your writing continues and you should not be afraid of it.

Your characters will form from this beginning into someone new and refined, and they will in many cases take control of your story. I will leave that particular discussion for another entry.

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Pulp Fiction, Brisbane City will host the launch signing of Legends of Marithia : Prophecies Awakening

Saturday 9th January 2010 – 10:00am Start

This event will be a pre-order event only, and you will need to place your order ASAP to avoid disappointment on the day

Local pricing of the book at Pulp Fiction is $27.95Aud for softcover, and $45Aud for hardcover. Deposits are required for preorders, but this can be done via credit card over the phone. To preorder, call 07 32362750 or you can walk into the store.

Important: PreOrdering requires a deposit

Given the public holidays at this time of year and likely US shipping dates from Pulp Fiction’s American supplier, any orders for Legends of Marithia need to be in by end of trading on Monday the 21st. It is possible orders after that date would make it for the signing, but to be certain, you should place their orders by this time.

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