The Road of Echoes: New Blog Series

Fifteen weeks and a couple of days are all that remains between today and the publication of In the Echo of this Ghost Town and When the Echo Answers. Considering that each time I venture into a new story I experience the doubt and subsequent terror that I will never be able to write a book ever again, I am ecstatic that we’re moving toward the finish line. 

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I am so proud of these books. I am so proud of Griffin.

Those of you who have read The Stories Stars Tell will understand why I’m so proud, because you will recognize Griffin as a secondary character from that book. He wasn’t a likeable character in Emma’s and Tanner’s stories.  As Tanner’s best friend, Griffin did everything in his power to undermine Tanner’s growth, block the relationship, and guilt Tanner into remaining stuck within the Bro Code. 



So how does a character go from being vile to the hero of his own story?

It’s a great question, and one I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to pull off. I certainly had a ton of doubts when I first started writing it. I’m so excited to say that I did it. Griffin made it to “book boyfriend” status. I know it in my bones that’s a true statement. How did I do it?

That will be the subject of the next 9-week blog series. If you’ve ever wanted to go behind the scenes of a book, that’s where I’ll be taking you. From why I wrote the book, to research, to narrative choices, to character design, I’m going to invite you behind the scenes to look at how I created these two books. 

Be sure to join me here on the blog each Wednesday for a new installment about the creative journey from villain of The Stories Stars Tell to the hero of In the Echo of this Ghost Town and When the Echo Answers.  If you want more information, be sure to join my newsletter (which publishes the first of every month. That’s tomorrow!) There will be information about ARCs and the Pre-Order incentive.

Next week: What inspired me to take a closer look at Griffin as a possible hero for his own story.




April Challenge: Update No. 3

I’m cranky.

Maybe that isn’t the best way to start off a blog about the Work in Progress, but this story is so hard to grab ahold of and hang onto. It feels like trying to hold onto water. Just when I think: Oh! That’s it! the idea slips away. This hasn’t kept me from writing forward, however. I’m still just getting story—the good, the bad and the ugly—on the page.

So the stats:

  1. I wrote 5 of the 7 days.

  2. I wrote approximately 7,000 words this week for a total word count for April of 26,000 words give or take a few.

  3. I don’t think I’ll make a 50,000 words added, but I do think I’ll have a rough idea of the book beginning to end, and that was what I’d hoped for.

  4. One more week to go…

So, as promised, here’s some story info about this book tentatively titled Deconstructing Cale Elysian:

The original blurb:

For nearly nineteen years, Cale Elysian has lived a sheltered life. Whether it’s in the country manor where he resides with his family or the dormitory school life that he’s shared with his friends, he knows little beyond the confines of this existence. And lately, that awareness has begun to fester into wishing there was more, wishing he was more. He feels like a blank slate and no prospects to change it. Unable to go with his friends on the traditional, celebratory Grande Tour around the continent of Anola following their Year 7 exams, Cale resigns himself to the fact he’ll have to live vicariously through their stories when they return. He can't change the characteristic overprotectiveness of his father or the fact his step-mother is dying, after all. 

But when two strangers show up at the manor house with a magical item and dangerous intent, Cale realizes that not only has his father’s overprotectiveness been warranted but that magic, he thought was only in stories, exists. More outlandish, Cale learns that he and his father have powerful magical abilities that have had them in hiding. Worst of all, Cale comprehends his father has been lying to him his entire life. 

Separated from his family and on the run from a danger he can’t identify, Cale is ill-equipped to navigate the complexities of the world. Though he has a treasure map of memories his father gave him as a path to his true self, his strongest assets are his best friends, Yoneo, Jem and Domis who await the adventure of the Grande Tour of Anola. While Cale hides in plain sight among them, his odyssey will challenge everything he’s ever believed about himself and his family. It will test and define his relationships with his friends in new and complicated ways. By the time he collects the last of the hidden memories, Cale will have to decide once and for all who he really wants to be.


The Cast of Characters

Cale: The main character. It’s his journey of self-discovery. He learns he has a magical ability and everything he understood about who he is has been a lie. The most complacent of the group, Cale usually has gone with the flow, but now, his old ways of being have been stripped away as he begins to redefine who he is.

Yoneo: Cale’s best friend. They met when they were ten, and have gone through all of their school years together as dorm mates. Yoneo is wise. Of the group, he’s the one most likely to diffuse a fight.

Jem: The most rambunctious of the group, Jem is willing to do anything for a good time and a laugh. He’s got the privilege and the money to back up his escapades, but he’s also a hot-head, so watch out when he’s angry. He’s the activity director of the group, he has all the best ideas for getting into trouble, and out of it.

Domis: The logistician of the group, Domis is who everyone goes to when they need to think a problem through. Jem’s roommate for all their years at school, he’s also the best one to pull Jem from one of his moody funks.

Siha: The newest addition to the group, Siha has the most street smarts of the bunch. She’s wily and wise when it comes to keeping them safe from whatever is on their trail.

Indie Author Marketing: Update No. 6

Are we coming or going at this point? I’m not sure. It would seem I’m just following the road, windows down, music blasting and hoping beyond all hopes that the car is headed in the right direction. At least I have you all with me.

We just passed the week six marker. SIX WEEKS!?! Can you believe it? Feels like yesterday that I started this Independent Author Marketing Series, and now we’re here at the six week mark. Three weeks left until The Cantos Chronicles rereleases, and though it’s difficult to tell with accuracy, *preorders seem strong (which potentially is exciting).

*based on numbers provided by wholesale book distributor.

The Cantos Chronicles

The Cantos Chronicles

The method to keep things on the road this week involved these check list items:

Social Media

I listened to a great 15 minute podcast by Mixtus Media this week that purported it isn’t necessary to spread yourself too thin by doing ALL Social Media hotspots. Maybe that’s a little like visiting Disneyland and California Adventure and trying to do both parks and all the rides in one day. Instead, chose the format that works best and commit to that one. My favorite is Instagram. I touch base on Facebook. I’m rarely on Twitter. I do a drop in of Tumblr, but I spend the bulk of my social media presence on good old IG.

My GOAL for IG this week was to offer a bit more character depth to potential readers. All three protagonists (Abby, Seth and Gabe) were featured in my stories. Truthfully, I don’t think it worked as well as I had hoped. It was my fault - the premise of asking characters questions operates on the assumption that people already know them. What do you ask if you haven’t read the story? On the other hand, people who have read the stories saved me by asked some questions. Those answers may have offered potential readers food for thought. What do you think?

I don’t think the idea is a bad one, just perhaps that the execution could have been better.

Add to the Instagram mix, my awesome helpers on the book review and book recommendation blitz have been posting - one a day. That has been lovely to see and share. Anyone see a post from someone else that sparked your attention?

One more social media point was the completion of a flash giveaway on Instagram. It was a quick: “First 10 people to comment about some such or other will receive an ebook copy of Swimming Sideways.” It moved quickly, ten people received the ebook and hopefully they LOVE it! My thinking was to get some advanced copies out into the world to 1) generate excitement, 2) provide an early copy, and 3) perhaps inspire more people to share.

Book Signing

Further planning was done for a book signing at my local Barnes & Noble in Honolulu. With the Hawaii Literacy Project contacted and the event planners at my local B&N on board, the end of April or early May is looking like it might be a real possibility; I will use my newsletter to announce an event like this. When the plan solidifies, it will be a bit like turning full circle because I started this journey way back in November and it became the impetus for the entire rebrand of The Cantos Chronicles books.

Other Bookish Events

I contacted two local book events: A children’s literature conference held in June as well as a Book Festival held in October. I applied to both as a panelist and vendor and will be presenting at the Children’s Literature Conference in June! Still waiting to hear back on the second event, but I will keep you posted. This means I will have an event in April, perhaps one in May, one in June, one in July, am working on October and still waiting to hear back about November.

In addition to those events, I met with a high school librarian to develop a workshop for high school students about creativity. This presentation will happen at the high school where I work in April, but I’ll get to serve in a different capacity outside the realm of classroom teacher and stepping into the role of published author.

Finally, I’m giving away all of the remaining ARCs of the books to my students. They are super excited and don’t care that there are editorial mistakes in the books. Their response was: “Mrs. C, we won’t even know the mistakes are there.” (I don’t know if that is a reflection of my teaching or something else - LOL).


Wrap Up

The road is stretched out ahead of us. Are we going the right direction? I think so. I’m feeling confident, accomplished and filled with hope that where ever the road leads is exactly where I’m supposed to go. Did I have some missed turns -yeah, I think so - but that’s learning, right? With Week Six Independent Author Road Trip Marketing Journey stretched out along the asphalt behind us, we’re on to Week Seven. Only two more blogs until The Cantos Chronicles rerelease, and a final post to wrap up the road trip. I am super interested to know what you’ve noticed over the last six weeks? What has stood out? What kinds of questions are popping up for you? How can any of my experiences help inform you moving forward? Be sure to follow me on IG (@cl.walters) and keep an eye out for questions about this series in a couple of weeks.

Next week: Indie Author Marketing: Update No. 7

Indie Author Marketing: Update No. 3

There are peaks and valleys in every journey. The rise toward the viewpoint and the turnout that allows for us to park the car, check out the vista with a deep breath of appreciation and think: Wow. Look how far we’ve come. Conversely, there are valleys, the dips in the journey where we drive into the depths of the unknown where doubt has the opportunity to creep in and make us wonder if we’re on the right road? It’s a good time to pull out a map, except we don’t have one.

So Nevada…

So Nevada…

I’m in a valley on this marketing journey this week, spinning my wheels in the muddy terrain and wondering if I’m going to make it to the next peak. (Anyone got a song for me to cue up? Right now, I’m listening to our Spotify playlist “Indie Author Marketing Road Trip” to keep me moving forward “Grow as We Go” by Ben Platt. Drop it in the comments to give me a song of encouragement. :)

I am discouraged.

Allow me to be clear. I’m not discouraged by the support (family, friends, IG community is wonderful). I’m discouraged that engagement is down and I keep thinking “What more can you do? There must be something!” But I’m lost in this dark part of the valley where I don’t know. This doubt is rooted in the work I did for The Letters She Left Behind - the clue game giveaway which was a fun marketing idea that didn’t inspire as much engagement as I had hoped. I’m certainly grateful for those that did participate and two awesome winners resulted. Engagement has been worse this month as I attempt to build connection to The Cantos Chronicles with new and existing content. I’m terrified my spinning wheels are only making me sink deeper into the muck.

What does this all mean in the larger picture of being an independent author?

Upon reflection, I don’t think the answer is black and white but shades of variation. Here’s some thoughts I had this week:

  1. I’m being impatient. The perfectionist in me is also looking at the effort and expecting a specific outcome. Truth is, I’m new at this. Why would I have expected The Letters She Left Behind Clue Giveaway to create more engagement when people are only beginning to learn about me & my writing? In all of the research I’ve done about marketing of anything, instant success isn’t a thing (even if I want it to be). I need to be patient and persistent.

  2. Social media is only one tool at my disposal. Perhaps I’m not using all of the tools available effectively enough? I spend a lot of time on Instagram, but maybe that isn’t where to find my readers (even if I’ve connected with a wonderful community of writers). In considering my target audience: where are they? Maybe instagram, yes, but maybe I need to widen the search.

  3. Set backs - being stuck in the mud - isn’t a reason to give up; time to dig deeper and find the work around.

So what did I get to this week:

  1. I maintained my February approach to The Cantos Chronicles, offering new content interspersed with existing excerpts from the three books. I’m using a mixture of Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook, but as I mentioned earlier engagement is low and I haven’t found the magic elixir. Though I’m using a variety of hashtags rotating different ones, posting consistently I haven’t found a way to engage a majority of the followers I have.

  2. I did research on 301c Charities in my area. This is because my local Barnes and Noble is interested in using the charity as a draw for book sales. It’s a great idea. The charity benefits by bringing in patrons because they get a percent of the proceeds. Win-win-win for all three parties. My next step will be to craft letters to the charities are a good fit.

  3. I finalized the letters to teachers in my area. Now it is a matter of determining forward action: selecting schools, teachers, and timing. With the school year drawing to a close, timing might be an issue.

  4. I finalized plans for the March Social Media Blitz. Now it’s time to draft the information my March Blitzers will need and get it to them.

  5. I finished the Book Trailer. I plan to unveil that after the covers are revealed February 25. Look for the trailer next week.

That’s the week in review. While I might be stuck in the muck as an independent author marketer, I feel like I’m standing on top of the world as a creator: I finished my fifth book! And that reminds me why I am doing this: so I can keep doing this.

Until the next peak, my friends. Could you help me push the car out of the muddy terrain so we can get back underway to find it. Happy writing.

Next Week: Indie Marketing Update No. 4

Indie Author Marketing: A Hope and A Dream

I’m tripping along bolstered by hope and a dream. As an independent author, the publishing journey often feels like wading chest deep through a swamp. But I’m still holding onto the strings of hope and a dream like balloons floating above me, guiding the way through. That and the plethora of blogs, resources and information to wade through trying to figure it all out.

I followed the advice:

  • I wrote a book. Check.

  • I edited the book - again and again and once more. Check.

  • I bought my ISBN. Check.

  • I hired a cover artist. Check.

  • I edited the book. Again. Check.

I think it’s ready to offer to the world, but here’s the struggle for traditional and independent authors, alike: How do you make it through the noise so your book’s message has a chance?

  • I’ve got a marketing plan. Check.

This doesn’t mean I have any of it figured out (I’m not a marketer or a publicist. I’m a writer and a teacher for goodness sakes). Mostly, this marketing business feels like I’m throwing wet paper towels at the wall and hoping they stick.

My attempt at a marketing plan.

My attempt at a marketing plan.

My YA Contemporary series, The Cantos Chronicles (Swimming Sideways, The Ugly Truth, and The Bones of Who We Are), rereleases under the new imprint Mixed Plate Press March 31, 2020. That’s eight weeks from now. I might have a marketing plan, but will it work? I don’t know. So here’s what I want to do: make it an anecdotal, nonscientific experiment. I’d like to invite you to go behind the scenes with me and follow along as I sludge through the marketing swamp. Will it work? I don’t know, but I’m wondering if those of you who are looking for answers, maybe you can learn from my journey - things to do and pitfalls to avoid.

And so we’re off, those balloons - hope and a dream - guiding the way.

Next week: Marketing Update No.1