NaNoWriMo 2019!

NaNoWriMo 2019 is starting this Friday, Nov. 1! This will be my ninth year entering and so far I've got a streak of four years won in a row. Last year, you might recall that I finished my book in 12 days. That was The B-Boy, which was published and released in August.

My first NaNo was in 2011, when I wrote My Best Friend's Brother/The Summer I Turned into a Girl. I published that one the following summer and have since published a sequel. 

This year I'm hoping to tackle a few projects. Yup, you read that right. I need to get more words written than the requisite to win NaNo. I do have a complete novel that I plan to write during the month (more on that later), but I also have a couple of novellas and another book to finish before the end of the year. And what better time to get those done than during November?

Other things happening in November: both Outside Edge and Hooked are coming out near the end of the month, which will wrap up my Knockout Girl series! I'm excited and I'll probably find some fun way to celebrate. I'm also a little sad to say goodbye to Knockout Girl. So...don't be surprised if at some point I say I've got another book for the series, but it won't be any time soon.

 

I have a new project I'm working on but I can't elaborate on it just yet. I've mentioned it before, though, so if you scroll through my past posts and find anything related to spaceships and other planets...you might have a piece of the puzzle.

Anyway, if you're even remotely interested in doing NaNo this year, head on over to https://nanowrimo.org/. It's loads of fun, even if you don't make it to 50k words. There are local write-ins, chats with other writers, pep talks from published authors, and badges to collect! If you're trying it this year, feel free to add me as a buddy. Just search for Natasja and you'll find me.

Happy writing! I'll check in at some point next month.

- Natasja

Homework help - Amazon book descriptions

I'm writing a new series of blog posts called "Homework help" where I post about things I've learned during my self-publishing journey in hopes of helping other aspiring indie authors. I'm starting this series with Amazon book descriptions because I've seen enough self-published authors struggle with this. If you've published with Kindle Direct Publishing and you're having problems with this, you've come to the right place!

The thing about the Amazon descriptions is that if you copy and paste from wherever you have your blurb written down, it's not going to look as pretty as you want. You're probably looking to have your blurb broken up into easy-to-read paragraphs and maybe a bolded or italicized tagline, right?

For this, KDP supports a simple list of HTML tags you can use. Using these tags is super easy and will make your Amazon book description look nice. But remember, when you open a tag you have to close it, or it won't work. For example, when you want something bolded, you have to put the word you need between the tags like so: <b>[important words here]</b>. That will make it look like this: [important words here]. Alternatively, you can use the tag <strong></strong> for the same purpose. If you wanted to italicize something, use the tag <i></i>.

When you want a space between your paragraphs, you need to use the tag <br></br>. Remember to always close it, otherwise your faulty code will show it and it still won't have a break between paragraphs.

Here's an example of the description I used for The B-Boy followed by how it looks on Amazon:

<strong>Follow the rhythm of your heart.</strong><br></br>Now that high school's over and he's left his life as a bully behind, Red finally has time to focus on what he wants: boxing. For as long as he's able, that's what he'll do.<br></br>Zara's passion for dancing is rivaled by none, but her dreams are shattered when her dance partner sprains his ankle weeks before their showcase. With no other options, Red's cousin and Zara's best friend suggests they team up.<br></br>Now Red has a tough decision to make: stick to what he's always known or find the courage to love something new?

Follow the rhythm of your heart.

Now that high school's over and he's left his life as a bully behind, Red finally has time to focus on what he wants: boxing. For as long as he's able, that's what he'll do.

Zara's passion for dancing is rivaled by none, but her dreams are shattered when her dance partner sprains his ankle weeks before their showcase. With no other options, Red's cousin and Zara's best friend suggests they team up.

Now Red has a tough decision to make: stick to what he's always known or find the courage to love something new? 

One other important thing to note is that Amazon doesn't allow you to put links in your book descriptions, so even if I wanted to give you the HTML for that, it wouldn't help you. They'll just tell you there's a problem with the description and tell you not to do that. Sorry! 

I hope this helps someone out. It's really not easy to self-publish on your own and knowing these little tips and tricks can really make the experience easier and better. Thank you, once again, for going on this journey with me!


- Natasja Eby

News - Outside Edge

I've been hinting at the next book in my Knockout Girl series for a while now. And I'm finally ready to tell you all about it! Before we go any further though, you should know that there are spoilers for the previous books. If you haven't read them and hate spoilers, look away!

After the events of Standup Guy, I wrote off Adrian as a not-great boyfriend, who ended up being an awful ex. He was mean, resentful, and jealous, and made some really bad mistakes. That was it for him - no more chances from me, the author of his fate. I figured for someone like him, there's no redemption, no forgiveness.

But then, an idea formed in my head. A story about redemption, forgiveness...and, yes, second chances. Does someone like Adrian deserve a second chance? No way. Does someone like Adrian who detests the mistakes he's made deserve a second chance? Absolutely.

After his breakup with Elli, Adrian takes a downwards turn and trying to drown his sorrows with alcohol doesn't help. In fact, all it gives him is two DUIs, which in turn rids him of his scholarship and his spot on his hockey team.

When he gets sent to live with his Pops way up north in Christmastown, he takes his resentment to the next level. Nothing could ever make him want to change. Except maybe Brooke and the kids she's training.

Though she was once on track for a top competitive figure skating position, Brooke's dream has become derailed. Now she's being forced to help a bunch of kids put on a Christmas pageant. And even worse - she has to teach an errant hockey player how to ice dance.

Finding common ground between them isn't nearly as difficult as a triple axel. But can the rink also help them to repair the damage of their past mistakes? Will Adrian and Brooke learn to find strength in each other's arms?

Even though I struggled so hard at times, I think this was a really important story to tell. I guess I couldn't just say "the end" to Adrian without giving him a chance to change. If a pronounced bully like Red could become a great best friend, couldn't Adrian also learn to change his ways? You'll have to wait to find out! Outside Edge is now on preorder and is set to be released on November 18, 2019.

In other news, I've been working on another Knockout Girl novella. Details and a cover are coming soon, but for now I'll leave you with the title: Hooked.

Happy reading!

- Natasja Eby

The Art of Cover Art

Have you ever wondered why I post my covers all over all the time? Well, let me tell you why: because they're hard! I mean, not only the actual aspect of putting them together, but there's so much to think about. Does it fit the tone and genre of the book? Is it eye-catching/esthetically pleasing? Are the fonts nice and readable as a thumbnail (important for ebooks)? How's the blurb on the back cover? Did you manage to get the j and the t to both fit on the spine?* Now the fun part - getting it to upload properly to whatever publisher you're using and making sure it looks right.

I'm actually not here to complain, but rather to say that I'm proud of how hard I work on that stuff. And not only that, but there are about 5 or 6 people that I'm constantly pestering with questions and observations and to whom I send a million different copies of the same cover with minute differences in them. To those people I say a huge THANK YOU. I've said it before and I'll say it again: there's no such thing as self-publishing alone. 

Alright, here's another look at my covers, because why not? 

My Best Friend's Brother/The Summer I Turned into a Girl. This one is special to me because it was my very first one and my BFF designed it for me. She took such a load off my shoulders by putting it together for me. I still love it, but ended up redesigning it so I could make it match with its sequel.

MBFB take 2. This is the new cover I designed. It was both fun and frustrating to do because no matter what I tried, I couldn't please everyone. I started off with paler colours and it looks better like this. I started with too many fonts and without knowing what to do where, I fell back on the font that I've been using for my Knockout Girl Series. (More on that below). Finally, I came up with something good enough - though I'm still not sure it's perfect.

My Brother's Best Friend/Learning to Sing Like a Girl. This one I ended up liking a little bit better than the first, although maybe that's just because I was so tired of trying to design these covers that I was willing to sacrifice a lot for it. Still I like it and the tone it conveys and I like that they're now a matching set.

And of course, there's Knockout Girl. This was the first time I thought to myself, "Hey, maybe I should put a person on the cover of my book." I think it turned out well and it started a trend for the rest of the series. Those of you who have been following me will have noticed that I added a laurel to this book after I won a couple of awards for it. I like it because Elli really does deserve a laurel on the cover. Major props to my sister and bro-in-law for helping me with the full cover. The title font is called EDO and I love it.

Ah, Standup Guy. A coworker of mine suggested making a cover that matched Knockout Girl by finding a model in a similar pose but on the other side of the book so that when they're side-by-side, Elli and Julian are back-to-back. I think it works quite nicely actually. The problem with that is that this is a flipped image so all those numbers were backwards. Bro-in-law came through for me again and fixed them, but he also at one point hilariously superimposed his own face onto Julian's. Ha ha. This is what I get for free labour.

My next release, The B-Boy has been getting a lot of compliments for how stunning it is. But I have a secret for you. Lean in close. Pay attention... It's just a stock photo with a filter on it. But it does look really nice, doesn't it? In all honesty, I couldn't find a couple that really screamed "Red and Zara!" at me, but I love this couple. The pose is great and the tone is just right for a summer book.

I did a lot of searching around for the perfect cover for Rinkside. I actually was searching for a specific European city (huge spoiler, so I won't say which one if you don't know it from the picture). Low and behold, I found this model casually strolling in several poses through said city. She had a perfect Cherry look, so I grabbed at the chance. I also wasn't originally going to do a paperback version...but then I found a perfect picture for the back cover and that convinced me.

Congratulations on making it to the end of this post! (Unless you scrolled down just to enjoy the pictures. In which case, I applaud your laziness.) And since you're already here, I'm going to show you some full covers, because really. It's so. Much. Work.

Thanks you for going on this crazy adventure with me! You guys are awesome. Happy reading!

- Natasja

*You'll notice all caps on the spines for the Knockout Girl Series, because I can't with all that stuff hanging out the top and bottom.

Rinkside is here!

Today's the day! Rinkside is officially available on Amazon in paperback, ebook, and on Kindle Unlimited.

Rinkside is my first published novella, a story that fits neatly into the timeline of The B-Boy. The fun thing is you could read either one first and still catch everything that's happening. Of course, if you haven't read Knockout Girl and Standup Guy yet, I recommend starting there. Because, you know, spoilers.

So, what's it all about? After graduating from high school, Cherry's plan is simple - work at her parents' arena for the summer and then go to school for business in the fall. Everything is set.

That is, until she meets Richie.

The young, attractive nephew of the arena's former Zamboni driver, Richie turns Cherry's world upside down from the moment they meet. Not only does he question her decision to study business, but he also makes her rethink her decision to stay close to home. 

If only Gary hadn't gotten sick, if only Richie had never filled in as the Zamboni driver, if only he hadn't admitted he's never left Ontario, if only he hadn't touched Cherry's tattoo...

Maybe then, things would have stayed perfectly on track. But life is never that clean cut, and Cherry's about to find out that plans and fate can coincide if she's willing to let them.

There we have it! I'm super excited for you guys to read Rinkside and tell me what you think on any of the following platforms:

Goodreads

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Happy reading!


- Natasja