Kristina Stanley

Farley’s Friday: Bears and Dogs

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 16 Comments

Farley here,

It’s bear season again, and you know that means. I’m back on a leash. I made the mistake once, only once, of chasing a bear, and now Kristina thinks I’m not reliable when there are bears around.

This guy was in our backyard last year. We’d just come home from a walk, and he was meandering across our grass and over into the neighbours yard.  He’s pretty little, so what harm could he do. He’s giving me a snarky look because I’m barking at him. No chasing though. Kristina has a good grip on my harness.

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But I can still have fun with a leash on. Kristina lets me sneak around the golf course sometimes. This is my favorite hill. Rolling down it is a blast. Then it’s back to Kristina and walking on leash. I don’t know why that’s safer than walking off-leash. But she’s in charge, so what’s a dog to do?

Farley rolling downhill

Woof Woof

Should You Do a Thunderclap Campaign?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

The Thunderclap.it story continues. On May 28th, 2016 at 10 AM my campaign went out to 1,793,812 people.  Thank you to everyone who supported the campaign. Your effort made a big difference in my life, and I’d like to share the data from yesterday.

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Moments before the message was sent, my stats on Amazon.ca were:

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Later in the day, here’s what happened:

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That’s enough of an increase to make me happy 🙂

So should you do a campaign?

My campaign for was a non-fiction book, so keep that in mind. I’m not sure if it would be successful for a fiction book. I don’t plan to do one for AVALANCHE  when it’s released, June 25th.

Preparing for the campaign takes a fair amount of time. You must contact people personally when you first start the campaign. You need 100 people to support you for the campaign to go live. After I reached 100 people, I spent 3 weeks contacting others in my network asking for support. At the end, I reached out personally to all supporters and thanked them.

Time consuming – yes. Fun – also yes.

Would I do it again? Yes. But only for a non-fiction title.

Thunderclap is a crowdspeaking platform that helps people be heard by saying something together. It allows a single message to be mass-shared, flash mob-style, so it rises above the noise of your social networks. By boosting the signal at the same time, Thunderclap helps a single person create action and change like never before.

And a little secret…Imajin Books has decided to keep THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO SELLING BOOKS TO NON-BOOKSTORES on sale for a little while longer. You can still get a copy for $0.99 USD at myBook.to/SellingBooks

If you have thoughts on doing a Thunderclap campaign, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

HOT NEW RELEASE: Selling Books to Non-Bookstores

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

In the life of an author, one of the best days is the day a new book is released. Today is that day for me. 

I’m feeling awesome and would like to thank Cheryl Kaye Tardif and Imajin Books for suggesting I write this book and for publishing it.

My trek to visit as many non-bookstores as possible led me to sell more books to non-bookstores than bookstores, so I took photos throughout the journey.

AGSBNB Photo colllage in stores

The best moment during the pre-release phase:

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Who wouldn’t want to be placed beside the “nice” shark, Robert Herjavec?

If you’d like to buy the book it’s available at:  Amazon, Kobo, Google Play Also on iBooks

Thanks for reading…

Farley’s Friday: Snowmakers Rock!

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

Farley here,

It’s spring in the mountains, it’s getting hot, but don’t worry about me.

I found the last of the snow made by the snowmakers. It’s won’t be here long, so I have to make the best of it. Cold snow on my back feels awesome.

Kristina even let me off leash after she scanned the area for bears. Sometimes she’s silly. I can smell a bear way before she can see one. And seriously, she’s going to protect me? It’s my job to protect her.

Farley Snowmaker

Just in case you hadn’t heard, today is the LAST day Kristina’s book is on sale for $0.99 USD. Tomorrow is the official release, so I’m guessing there will be a party in our house.

AGTSBNBCLICK to buy at Amazon, Kobo, Google Play

Woof Woof

Write Better Fiction: Do Scenes Per Chapter Matter?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Today on Write Better Fiction we’ll cover Scenes Per Chapter. Write Better Fiction is a process to help you critique your own manuscript and give yourself feedback. This will help you improve your novel, so you’re ready to submit it to an editor.

Last week we talked about the number of words in a scene. Today, I’m going to share how I look at the number of scenes in a chapter.

A scene or several scenes will make up a chapter. The Scenes Per Chapter report will illustrate the structure of your novel based on scenes in each chapter.

An author has two choices. Every chapter can have the same number of scenes, or the number of scenes per chapter varies throughout the novel.

A similar number of scenes per chapter: An author may choose to write chapters composed of exactly the same number of scenes or a similar number of scenes. They create a novel in this format, then they acquire readers, and the readers come to expect the structure throughout the novel. It might be risky for the author to change once they have established a following for their style.

Variable Number of Scenes Per Chapter: You must at least have one scene per chapter. It may only be one word or one sentence but it still counts as a scene. The upper limit is endless.

Potential pitfalls with the number of scenes per chapter:

One chapter with a greater number of scenes than the others: When the reader gets to this scene, he is going to wonder why so much time has been allocated to the scene. Either the author didn’t notice one scene was way too long, or he did on purpose because something very important is happening in the scene.

Switching Structure Mid-Novel: Even if the reader doesn’t register the number of scenes per chapter consciously, they may be jarred out of reading if the first half of the novel is written with the same number of scenes per chapter, and then the number changes. If you choose to have the same number of scenes per chapter, then remain consistent throughout the novel.

You won’t be surprised that I use my spreadsheet to count scenes per chapter and I look for anything that stands out as unusual. I ask myself why I wrote the chapter this way. Below is an example.

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In the above graph, you can see that chapter 3 is very different from the other chapters in the novel. In this case, I would consider breaking chapter 3 into two or more chapters.

The first and last chapters are very few scenes. The first chapter has only one scene. I did this because I want the reader engaged quickly and this helps keep the pace fast. I sometimes end a novel with only one scene in the final chapter. This is the chapter that comes after the climax, so I want to close things up but I don’t want the story to drag on.

As with word count per scene, this type of analysis is done when an author has finished the first draft. It’s a bird’s eye view of the structure and allows me to check the pacing and flow of my story.

I critiqued DESCENT, BLAZE and AVALANCHE using the techniques I’m sharing in Write Better Fiction, and I believe this helped me sign with a publisher.

Please let me know in the comments below if you examine your scenes per chapter and why you do this?

Thanks for reading…

Marathon to 1 Million…

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

Who said running a Thunderclap campaign is easy?

I saw a post on twitter today that said, “There is no elevator to success…take the stairs” and it resonated with me. I’m climbing the stairs to 1 Million shares.

So what is Thunderclap?

Thunderclap is a crowdspeaking platform that helps people be heard by saying something together. It allows a single message to be mass-shared, flash mob-style, so it rises above the noise of your social networks. By boosting the signal at the same time, Thunderclap helps a single person create action and change like never before.

Here’s where I sit on my campaign.

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I love it if you’d join me on the stairway to success and help me get to 1,000,000 shares. All you need to do is click here.

Thunderclap does the rest.

If you want to learn how to create your own Thunderclap campaign, check out BOOM. How To Create A Successful Thunderclap Campaign

If you do create a campaign, let me know and I’ll support it.

Thanks for reading…

Mystery Mondays: Janice Spina on Genres

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

IMG_1714Another fabulous Mystery Monday guest is here to talk to us about genres.  Janice Spina is the author of Hunting Mariah.

Hunting Mariah: An insane killer, obsessed with blood and death, seeks revenge with those he perceives wronged him. He is now on the loose. His next victim may be Mariah. Mariah has lost her memory. Will she remember what has transpired in her past? Can Mariah escape this deadly killer’s grasp? Will she finally be safe? Will the killer be apprehended?

Now don’t you just want to read this book? I certainly do!

So here we go to Janice’s writing advice…

Writing in Different Genres by Janice Spina

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How important is it for authors to be able to write across genres? 

First of all, not everyone cares to write in multi-genres. There are some who choose to write in one genre and for select readers. There is nothing wrong with writing in one or multi-genres. Who am I to tell anyone what is the right thing to do. 

If you look at J K Rowling, for instance, she has excelled in writing for YA, PT, MG groups (young adult, preteen, middle-grade). She has also written for 18+. I am one of her biggest fans for the first group but I did not enjoy the 18+ mysteries as much as the Harry Potter series. That does not mean that her books didn’t sell well! On the contrary, once she became established as a successful author anything she wrote (even under a pen name) sold off the shelves. If only I could do that! Sigh!

I chose to write in different and multi-genres to keep myself fresh. I started out with children’s books, ages 0-8, then branched out to MG and PT, ages 9-12, then 18+. I have received a Silver Medal from MOM’S Choice Awards for one children’s book, Lamby the Lonely Lamb, and recently my first book of Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Series, The Case of the Missing Cell Phone, won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award in the Preteen Category. These awards make an author feel that maybe she is doing something right. I am definitely enjoying what I do.

 Trying out different genres gives an author an idea what feels comfortable to him/her.

You may never know what you excel in if you do not try something different. I have found that trying out different genres opens my eyes and mind to more creative thinking. Also, I discovered that MG, PT and YA are my favorites. When I write for this age group I feel like a kid again.

Since I write off the cuff I never know what my characters are going to say until they tell me and where they are going until they take me there. I find this thoroughly enjoyable. I am reading along as if I am a new reader. It can be disconcerting at times though because I don’t always want to say what the characters want to say or go where they want to go. I then need to take charge and control this story before it gets out of control. It does take more editing this way but it helps me to be more creative and real.

It really doesn’t matter what genre you write in as long as you love what you do and do it to the best of your ability. There are many people out there in cyber land that will lend you a hand if you need it. I, for one, promote fellow authors on my blog. Go to http://jemsbooks.wordpress.com for more info. 

For now, writers, authors and prospective authors keep on writing and creating beautiful books from your hearts. You readers out there, we need you. For without you we wouldn’t have a reason to write!

 Please keep on reading and reviewing and remember: READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY!

Thank you, Kristina Stanley, for having me on your marvelous blog! I had a wonderful time!

All my books (Jemsbooks) can be found on –

Http://Amazon.com/author/janicespina7

Create Space

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Janice-Spina?

store=allproducts&keyword=Janice+Spina

 Blessings to All!

Janice Spina

Http://jemsbooks.com

Janice’s Biography:

Janice SpinaJanice Spina is an award-winning author with ten published books and more on the way. She loves writing in different genres, children’s (PS-grade 3), middle-grade/preteen (grades 4-7), and 18+. She is also an avid reader/reviewer, blogger, copy editor and writer of poetry. Her husband illustrates all her children’s books and creates beautiful covers for all books.

She has been writing since the age of nine in the form of poems and greeting cards. She plans to continue as long as she is able to create stories for all ages. Her logo is Jemsbooks for all ages, and her motto is Reading Gives You Wings to Fly!

Janice’s children’s book, Lamby the Lonely Lamb, received a Silver Medal from Mom’s Choice Awards and her MG book, Davey & Derek Junior Detectives, Book 1, The Case of the Missing Cell Phone, received the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award in the category of Preteen books.

Janice lives in New Hampshire with her husband, John, and enjoys traveling, going to the movies, reading, hula hooping, walking, crocheting, blogging, and spending time with the grandchildren who are her inspiration to write.

She loves to hear from her readers and looks forward to new reviews of her books. She is a staunch supporter of fellow authors and features them on her blog. Get in touch with Janice by email jjspina@myfairpoint.net or through her blog and website.

Farley’s Friday: I’m Sooooooo Happy

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here,

Run, bark, swim, roll, chase, and bark some more.

3 dogs on beach

I love the beaches in Victoria, BC. I met new friends, some big, some small. All playful.

Dogs in water

Somewhere along the beach, I rolled in rotting seaweed! I left let beach filthy, but happy. Oddly enough, Kristina didn’t like the smelly seaweed part. Go figure…

Woof Woof

Write Better Fiction: Scene Word Count

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Today on Write Better Fiction we’ll cover Scene Word Count. Write Better Fiction is a process to help you critique your own manuscript and give yourself feedback. This will help you improve your novel, so you’re ready to submit it to an editor.

When writing genre fiction you should know the length of the novel that is acceptable for your genre, but what about words per scene?

Do you think word count per scene is important?

I do, and here’s why.

Word count per scene is the number of words in a scene. A scene or several scenes will make up a chapter, the chapters get you to the novel. I know, obvious, right? But how can you analyze your word count to improve your novel?

Same number of words per scene: An author may choose to write scenes that are all a similar length. Let’s say 1800 to 2200. They create a novel in this format, then they acquire readers, and the readers come to expect the flow a similar word count per scene would generate. It might be risky for the author to change once she has established a following for her style.

Variable Number of Words Per Scene: In theory, you could have a scene as short at one work and as long as the entire novel. These are extremes of course.

Potential pitfalls with word count:

One long scene: You write a novel with scenes that range from one paragraph in length to 1200 words, but you have one scene that is 2500 words. When the reader gets to this scene, he is going to wonder why so much time has been allocated to the scene. Either the author didn’t notice one scene was way too long, or he did on purpose because something very important is happening in the scene.

My spreadsheet has a column for scene word count. I then have Excel graph the scene lengths.  I have a quick look for anything that stands out as unusual and ask myself why I wrote the scene this way. This graph would extend to the number of chapters in the novel.

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What Stands Out?

Chap 2: The first scene in only 50 words long. This is very short compared to the other scenes in the novel.

Is it too short compared to the rest of the scenes? In this case, am I trying to create an effect of shock, or fast pace, or intrigue?

Chap 3: This chapter only has two scenes where every other chapter in the novel has three scenes.

Was this done on purpose? Was it a mistake? Ask yourself what you’re trying to achieve by the number of scenes in a chapter. You could also create this graph on a per chapter basis and ask yourself the same questions as per on a chapter basis.

Chap 4:  This scene is 2500 words long. The graph shows you it’s out of balance with the other scenes in the novel.

Is a scene too long compared to others? In this case, I must ask what is so special about this scene. If nothing, then I’ll consider breaking the scene into two or more scenes.

This type of analysis is done when an author has finished her first draft. It’s a bird’s eye view of the structure and allows her to check the pacing and flow of her story.

I critiqued DESCENT, BLAZE and AVALANCHE using the techniques I’m sharing in Write Better Fiction, and I believe this helped me sign with a publisher. And speaking of publishers, Imajin Books has released  AVALANCHE for pre-order at $0.99 USD for a limited time. This way, my readers get a little gift of a sale price before the novel is released.

Please let me know in the comments below if you examine your word count by scene and why you do this?

Thanks for reading…

Helping Authors Earn A Living

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

Helping authors earn a living is the tag line I used for the Thunderclap.it  campaign I created for THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO SELLING BOOKS TO NON-BOOKSTORES.

I’d love to have your help in spreading the word for my first non-fiction book. It’s easy. All you have to do is click the link below. Thunderclap.it will take you to a page where you can support the campaign by choosing FaceBook, Twitter, or Tumbler.

If you do…It means one post will go out on May 28th on your platform of choice. You won’t receive any spam or other messages. You don’t have to buy book.

This could be your way of helping authors earn a living, but helping me -an author 🙂 – spread the word about my next book.

The Thunderclap.it campaign is live for another 11 days at http://bit.ly/KSAuthor

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Thunderclap.it is a crowdspeaking platform that helps people be heard by saying something together. It allows a single message to be mass-shared, flash mob-style, so it rises above the noise of your social networks. By boosting the signal at the same time, Thunderclap helps a single person create action and change like never before.

On a side note, THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO SELLING BOOKS TO NON-BOOKSTORES is on sale for a limited time at $0.99 USD.

Thanks for reading…

Update Tuesday PM: 2 more people have joined the campaign, and I’m up to 108 people.  Thank you! I’m at 233,999 reach…That’s one short of 234,000. You could be the one to bump me up at bit 🙂