Writing Keechie

Granny Boo Under Contract

2009-10-26T17:42:00.003-05:00

Granny Boo~ Legacy of the Puma Man is scheduled for release in December, 2009. It has been a long journey, but one with many rewards.

I began writing Granny Boo immediately after Keechie was released in 2005 and continued the story, going back in time to Keechie's ancestors who first came to the southeast from northwestern Mexico in the early 1500s - after Cortez invaded and decimated the Aztec.

The story also continues the adventures of Brian and his family who are still living in Keechie's cave and struggling to survive after terrorists destroy the power grid and use biological weapons on the population.

My publisher is R.J. Buckley Publishing and can be accessed at R.J. Buckley Publishing . Click on the link, go to the bookstore under "Novels" to see the cover image. Pre-orders will be available soon!

Support your local Unknown Author and his publisher!

Update ~ Granny Boo ~ The Legacy of the Puma Man

2009-03-19T16:05:00.003-05:00

Maybe I should change the name of this blog...

Keechie has been out since 2005 and for a first work, it has been fairly successful. I say fairly because I did all the marketing myself and just like writing the novel, I had to learn everything the hard way. I have received many great reviews and even won two awards from NewBookReviews - first it won the book of the month, and that same year it went on to gain the Book of the Year!

I have spent the better part of the last 18 months researching and writing the sequel/prequel, Granny Boo ~ The Legacy of the Puma Man, which continues the life of Brian and his family in Keechie's cave, and also goes back in time to Keechie's ancestors who first migrated from northwestern Mexico after Cortez invaded the land and decimated the indigenous Aztec people. They traveled across North America and eventually arrived in the southeastern states. Fast-forward from there, it was the descendants of these people who discovered the cave and escaped the forced removal known as the Trail of Tears.

Keechie was from a long line of Spirit Singers— medicine women who received the Gift of Singing only with every other generation of women, and was watched over by their spirit guide, the Puma Man.

Alexis, Brian's daughter plays an important role in the concluding chapters, where it is discovered that she is the great-granddaughter of Keechie, and is now the new Spirit Singer.

You will have to read the book to learn how all this came about, and what it will mean to the great Muskogee people who are now living in Indian Territory in Oklahoma.

Granny Boo has been accepted by a wonderful publisher and is now in the process of text formatting. It will be available late in 2009.

New Program from Amazon

2006-10-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

Borders, teamed with Amazon has recently introduced their new Amazon Shorts Program for authors who have at least one book listed on their website. It features short stories by authors who want to not only keep their name “Up in Lights” while they are in between books, but also to get exposure on their writing style(s).

Some authors write “backstories” that expand characters, settings or events from their books. Some experiment by writing in different genres from that of their book. This is what I have done with my first story to be accepted by Amazon. It is in the Southern Humor genre, titled “The Good Ol’ Boys ~ Catfishin’”. I intend for this to become a series of the further adventures of the good ol' boys.

These “shorts” are downloadable from Amazon for only 49 cents each, and can be saved, printed or viewed via HTML or as an Adobe PDF file.

I also want to thank my good friend, Wayne Hurlbert, for his recent article in his award-winning blog, Blog Business World. He featured my recent “My Accidental Book Signing” blog entry, using it as an example of serendipity in his article titled “Serendipity: Happy Accidents". Wayne’s blog covers all aspects of successful blogging to help those interested in business, marketing, public relations, and SEO search engine optimization for successful entrepreneurs.

Keechie is doing very well in sales. Nine months of self-promoting, mostly via cyberspace, is beginning to pay off, but the single, most effective results have come via word-of-mouth recommendations from those who have already read it. Thanks to all of you!

My Accidental Book Signing

2006-09-19T15:41:00.000-05:00

I just got home from a reunion of the "Valley Kids" who all lived in Pine Mountain Valley, Ga. community where I grew up. It is also the setting for Keechie. Luckily, I just 'happened' to have a box of books with me - LOL. I was asked to speak for a few minutes about my book and what caused me to write it.

Then they lined up and bought every book I had with me! 20 in all, and there was no one left out. Everyone who wanted one, got one.This was the best booksigning I have had yet, and it was totally unplanned. I am still in a state of shock, but I can deal with it! I have a scheduled book signing next weekend, and I don't have a single book to take with me... but I ain't complaining. I'll just try to make a rush order. They have arrived in as few as four days before.

My old friends really made me feel special today. One thing I did notice though... they had all grown OLD in the forty years since I had seen them!

PopCurrent

2006-08-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

I just discovered that Keechie is now on the first page (of 206 pages) of the "Best Entries" on the PopCurrent site!

It seems to be based on number of "Pops", and the number one entry has 40. I sure wish that equated to book sales, but it has to help! I will know around the end of September just how many books have been sold. I have a sneaky feeling that I have personally sold more than Amazon and the other stores combined, and right now I have sold just under 200.

This reminds me of the old joke about the two guys who drove their truck to Florida and bought watermelons for a dollar each. They carried them back to Georgia and sold them for a dollar each.

"We didn't make any money at all, Billy Bob. Do you know what that means?"

"Yep," said Billy Bob. "We need us a bigger truck!"

Tags: Native American Novels, Books about Creek Indians,
Writing Historical Fiction, Book Marketing Techniques.

Spreading the Word

2006-08-04T13:51:00.000-05:00

Looking back, writing a book seems easy in comparison to self-marketing your creation. Publishers, unless you are an established, best-selling author, get your book to print, list it on the major on-line bookstores like Amazon, then wait for the orders to come in.

It is then the job of the author, or his agent (if he can afford one) to drive potential buyers to look for, then purchase his book. The internet is the best tool for this, if one has the knowledge to use it effectively.

I am still in the learning process, but my recent discovery of a site called PopCurrent offers the type of exposure that I was seeking. On the surface, it looks like a place for friends , family, and fellow authors to high-five and back-slap the proud new, and virtually unknown author - and that is exactly what it is.

BUT: It is also a place where many shoppers... Wait... I'll let Popcurrent tell you.

From their site:

*****************

PopCurrent is a new, democratic way for the people to decide what media becomes popular. The rank of a particular media link rises and falls on the front page depending on how may people vote for it -- or against it.

PopCurrent is site where you can:

Discover new music, video, podcasts and pictures
Submit URL's of media found anywhere online - your own, or someone else's
Vote for media - you are the critic

********************

That is anly a snip from their "What is PopCurrent?" page. Take a look at the whole page HERE .

Now go back to my page on PopCurrent and read the comments that some of my readers have added, then add your own vote (Called a "Pop") for Keechie!

They use a verification e-mail to insure that you are a real person and not a spammer, so you must register with them to vote or add comments. They only require your e-mail address for this easy process. I would appreciate your "Pop" and comment!

I still have a few books left for your personalized, autographed copy. You can get one through my Keechie website via PayPal or an email directly to me at keechie@bellsouth.net .

While you're at my website, take a look at the ARTICLES/REVIEWS page. I have been honored by a local newspaper with a very well-written article and a photo of me. My latest reviews are there as well.

Tags: Native American, Creek Indians, Writing, Book Marketing.

Another Major Review for Keechie

2006-06-22T19:54:00.000-05:00

My latest review, as of June 22, 2006, from New Book Reviews.org

Even more exciting... They named it their "Spotlight Book of the Week"!

New_Book_Reviews

*************

Phil Whitley’s Keechie is a tale of kindred spirits between young Brian and Keechie, an elderly half-breed lady. Brian and Keechie would realize why her spirit guide has brought them together, and how each one of them helped the other to realize their dreams that seemed unattainable in any way. Throughly enjoyed this historical fiction, well written and told, a tale that should make any reader smile and share the magic between the two main characters of this book. A Must Read! Story telling at its best!

Keechie is a great story, and author Phil Whitley has done a superb job of marrying fact with fiction. The final twist is unexpected and powerful!
Tim Donaldson editor4(at)Newbookreviews.org

*************

It all seems to be coming together now. When you send in your book to be reviewed, you take your chances on getting a bad review. Have faith in your work and submit your book!

The next challenge is to think of ways to get readers to find and read the reviews. Then hope they will follow through and actually order a copy!

Brew (Phil Whitley)

My website KEECHIE - A STORY OF SURVIVAL AND ADVENTURE

Review by Lighthouse Literary Review

2006-05-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most important reviews I have received to date for Keechie. I appreciate all the wonderful reviews I have received, but this one is from an independent source by a reviewer who doesn't know me from squat! It will be posted on the Lighthouse Literary Reviews site by Monday, May 22, 2006, but I got a preview. Here it is:

*******

FOUR AND A HALF BEACON REVIEW FOR KEECHIE

Brian has always had a passion for “digging in the dirt,” then on one of his outings he discovers an Indian woman that has been living off of the land alone for nearly fifty years. Knowing that Brian is a special person immediately, the Indian woman, Keechie, takes him in as a member of her clan and of her family. She teaches him the ways of her people and in return Brian seeks out the rest of her long lost family.

I thought this story played out very well. In the beginning, it seemed to have a simple tone and would be a pleasant rainy day read, but the more I delved into the characters, the more the story line became multifaceted. I loved that Keechie became the by-chance benefactor to Brian’s formal education and truly to his foundation for growing up to be the person he was. It was a feel good story of learning about our elderly and different cultures. Thinking there would be only one way to end this plot, I was not at all prepared for the turn this book took. If you cleaned up some simple POV problems, I would recommend this book to all.

Reviewed by: C.C.

*******

Five Beacons is their top rating. Four and one half Beacons is awesome!

Check it out on Monday at http://www.lighthouseliteraryreviews.com/Homepage.html

Look under the May Reviews and click on Keechie

REVIEWS FOR KEECHIE

2006-03-21T22:43:00.000-05:00

Since the official release date of Feb. 6, 2006 Keechie has received several very good reviews on Amazon. The most recent one was from a fellow PublishAmerica author, but was totally unsolicited (Scout's Honor!)

*******

'Keechie' is a series of stories that tell about two cultures that come together under most extrordinary circumstances. A young boy growing up during the 1940' and 1950's meets a woman of mixed Creek Indian and Black heritage (Keechie) who had been forced, not by her own choice, into a hermit's way of life. As the stories progress, Keechie's knowledge of past cultures and practices are transferred to the young boy. This wonderful woman who had been locked in her own cell of history gains new knowledge of the present from her new young friend. Cultures merge as each one benefits from the other. And, by the way, so does the reader benefit.

'Keechie' demonstrates the author's depth of knowledge and breadth of understanding of Native American culture as he expertly intertwines his own memories, knowledge of local lore and historical fact with his outstanding ability for expository writing. Writing dialect is difficult, but Phil Whitley makes it seem simple. 'Keechie' is classified as Historical Fiction, but it is very evident that there is more truth in this book than there is fiction.

'Keechie' is a book that transcends the gap between local lore, superstition, present realities and old memories. This book is a great read for both adults and young people. Anyone who misses a chance to read 'Keechie' misses out on a truly great reading experience.

Review by Jim Elders, author of Flatwoods and Lighterknots ISBN: 1-4137-8737-1

*******

I ordered a copy of his book, Flatwoods and Lighterknots, and found it to be a great read, so coming from an author who writes about the same time period as Keechie, and is such a talented writer, it was especially rewarding to get such a great review from him.

Archaeological Validation

2006-02-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

When I was a young boy in Pine Mountain Valley, Georgia, I didn't need any "proof" that Native Americans had lived there. The area had abundant evidence of their occupation. I learned very early on where to look for arrowheads and pottery sherds—and find them I did!

My book, Keechie, was the result of my lifelong fascination and obsession with these people, and now I found myself wanting to learn more of them. When did they come to this area? What was their daily lives like? What was their religious beliefs?

Earlier this week, a friend who still lives in the area told me that there was an archeological dig in progress on the very creek that I had written about in Keechie! With a little help I was able to find the website of the organization conducting the dig, and through that, I discovered a very good article on their findings so far. Check out Southern Research, Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc. and scroll down to 'What are you Doing Out There On Highway 116?'

Check out the article to see and understand my excitement! They are digging up the artifacts that were left by Keechie's ancestors, and the preliminary dating is much older than I ever suspected.

Life is good!

Phil

KEECHIE is Now Available!

2006-01-10T00:13:00.000-05:00

Keechie is running ahead of schedule, and is now available on-line at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Borders, Books-a-Million, and directly from the publisher, PublishAmerica. Just go to your favorite, search on the word Keechie, and order your copy!

I am also adding PayPal to my website so that those who would like to have a personally signed copy can make their purchase directly through me. You can also e-mail me and make arrangements that way. There will be only 100 copies of this first printing for autographing, and they are going fast! For these last two methods, just go to the KEECHIE WEBSITE . I have added several reviews there so you can see what others think about the book. Sign my guestbook while you're there!

Phil (friends call me Brew) Whitley

www.PhilWhitley.com

KEECHIE IS A BOOK!

2005-12-30T21:51:00.000-05:00

After receiving the two 'au gratis' author copies this past week I have been feeling conflicting emotions... One, a sense of accomplishment and pride, and two, a feeling of dread. For now the REAL work begins—the work of marketing.

The books are beautiful. The binding is perfect and the cover is even more impressive than I had imagined it would be. I have ordered the first bulk order to have on hand for family and friends who wanted a signed copy, leaving enough for a book signing or two,

The local library has started the process of getting it approved for their shelves, and has agreed to a book signing there. It is also being reviewed for acceptance into the Young Adult section.

And so, the next phase begins...

COVER DESIGN

2005-11-28T23:52:00.000-05:00

I have just a short entry tonight, but I wanted to report that I just received my cover for Keechie from the publisher. When I signed the contract they asked me for suggestions and ideas of what I wanted the cover to look like. My wife had done an original watercolor for me, so I sent it in as an example of what she and I imagined Keechie to look like.

They first sent me a design that one of the cover designers had created. It was beautiful, but the woman she depicted just wasn’t Indian nor African-American in appearance. I realize that the cover of a book has more to do with market appeal, but I just couldn’t do it.

I emailed the publisher and asked them to take another look at the image I had sent them originally. It is possible that they hadn’t even seen it until then, for the next day I got the word that they have agreed to use the original by my wife!

Go to http://www.freewebs.com/brew99 to see it! We are very pleased. Now anyone buying my book gets an original story by me, and a bonus—an original watercolor cover by an artist that I have spent the last 28 years with!

Added in Edit:

The official release date for Keechie has been set for February 6, 2006, but will be available for pre-ordering through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and PublishAmerica.com BEFORE then!

Send an email to keechie@bellsouth.net to arrange for an autographed copy. There will only be 100 autographed copies of the first printing, and they're going fast!

Researching Native American Culture

2005-11-18T23:50:00.000-05:00

Historical information on Native Americans began when the Spanish explorers of the 16th century documented their encounters with the indigenous peoples. Written in the form of letters to their supporters back home, they were primarily in search of gold and treasure.

Later, the Europeans added to the available information, but their motivating force was the desire for the land that the "Indians" occupied. Both benefited in the beginning through trading – furs and food for “White Man’s Goods”. But the lust for the land soon took over.

Neither the Spanish nor the Europeans were very interested in recording the culture, lifestyle or history of the native population. Instead, the ones who had any interest at all tried to convert the “Heathens” to Christianity, and the first order of business was to ERASE the memories and existing religion from the face of the earth.

In the mission schools, the Indian children were forbidden to speak their native languages. These practices left those of us who want to know the history and understand the religions of these people are left with limited knowledge of an age past.

Piecing together archaeological evidence, making assumptions through the use of carbon-dating, and more recently, DNA studies of the human remains, we try to form an image of a culture and lifestyle of a people who lived in harmony with the natural world—not in spite of it, as we “modern, civilized” people attempt to do.

Point of View – First Person or Third?

2005-11-14T23:17:00.000-05:00

Before you begin writing a story, you must first decide which perspective you will use. First person, as I discovered too late, is limiting, or more appropriately, challenging. You are telling the story from your own point of view, and the other characters’ thoughts and feelings cannot be told—except through their dialogue.

The third person point of view, or as some call it, the Omnipotent Observer, is much easier, and gives the writer more freedom to include ALL the characters thoughts and feelings.

When I began writing Keechie, I was telling my own story from my childhood, and had no idea that it was going to develop into a full-length novel. Had I known from the beginning, I would never have chosen first person perspective for my writing debut! I didn’t know the problems I was about to face until I needed to include something from Keechie’s perspective. Then I realized that I could not have known what she was thinking. I finally got around the problem by making a chapter division and switched to her point of view for that chapter.

Another trick I incorporated was to have the first person character (me) READ a story to his daughter, which allowed a change of perspective, making it effectively a third person point of view.

Notice that I haven’t mentioned the second person point of view. I have researched and studied, and have reached the decision that I will never understand it, nor will I ever use it. (At least not while I’m in my right mind!)

Read the first chapter of Keechie to get an idea of first person perspective.

Brew

HISTORICAL FICTION ~ RESEARCH

2005-10-26T19:50:00.000-05:00

When I realized that KEECHIE was evolving from a simple experiment in writing in dialect to a full-length novel, I wanted the history of the time period to be as accurate as I could make it.

The 60-year-old Indian woman,Keechie, lived in the 1950's south, and was taught to speak the "white man's language" by her black father. He was born of parents who were emancipated slaves. I was a teenager in that time period and was familiar with the vernacular of the black people, which was only slightly different from the way the local white people spoke. Very little research was required for that part of the writing, and little would have been available if I had tried.

But I needed to describe Keechie's heritage, her ancestors, her religion and burial customs. That required research, and it was during this information search that it became obvious that I had another story to write—that of Keechie's Muscogulgean-speaking ancestors. It was these people who, in the 16th century, had introduced an agricultural lifestyle to the already-present, indigenous population of hunter/gatherers!

Primarily it was their maize, or corn, that changed history wherever they settled. They had learned of this wonderful crop in their ancient homeland in northeastern Mexico. It had been created—genetically altered—by the Aztecs, who through selective breeding, turned a local grass (teosinte) into what we now call corn.

Maize, or in the Aztec language - Centli, was so important to them that it was considered one of their their gods, and of equal importance as their Sun God.

In the sequel (or probably more appropriately, pre-quel) to KEECHIE, I went back in time to these early immigrants who were Keechie's ancestors. This actually made an interesting reversal of book order, having the earlier story told after the later one.

This may heave the added benefit of causing the reader of either of the books to want to read (purchase!) the other.

One can only hope...

NATIVE AMERICANS/INDIGENOUS PEOPLES/HISTORY/ANCIENT CULTURES

2005-10-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

These are just a few of the keywords I used when I began researching for my book, KEECHIE . I realized early on that these terms were much too broad, and refined them to be more specific. Using search terms like "Creek Indians", "Prehistoric Georgia", and "Indians of the Southeast" were much more productive for my needs.

You have to remember that the internet is full of bad information along with the good. Try to determine the source of the information— whether it be from the content, or by listed references on the website. If your book is fiction, you may find that the speculative sites are exactly what you need, but for a historical fiction like KEECHIE I had to judge these sites with caution. I wanted the historical facts to be as accurate as possible on the culture, religion and lifestyles of the Creek/Muskogee people of ancient Georgia.

So after you have decided on the genre' of your soon-to-be masterpiece, and you have your basic storyline in mind, begin the research! I read twenty books and listed over fifty websites in the process of writing KEECHIE and found that not only did I gather the historical information I was looking for, I was never a victim of "writer's block"! I would become entranced by a single statement in the book or website— which would fire my imagination and get me back to the keyboard with another chapter pouring from my fingers as I watched the story develop in front of my eyes.

In a short time, I had gathered enough research material for a second book. I sent the first one off to the Library of Congress for its copyright, and let the story continue. The sequel, "Granny Boo ~ The Legacy of the Puman Man" is now over twice the word count as KEECHIE , and is still growing—all due to... RESEARCH!

It was more fun than the actual writing of the book.

SCI-FI - FICTION - NON-FICTION - ROMANCE - WHAT GENRE' DO YOU WRITE ABOUT?

2005-10-16T21:04:00.000-05:00

Fortunately for me, I had a mentor to tell me when I began writing, to start by writing about things I knew already. If nothing else, it cuts down on the research! It also allows one to concentrate on writing style, grammar, punctuation, and the mechanics of writing.

My book, "Keechie", was based loosely on my childhood and the setting was familiar territory. I created a character to weave through a very real place and time, thus my genre' fell into the category of"Historical Fiction". It could have just as easily been called "Adventure" or one that I made up called "Autobiographical Fiction". (Think about it)

Whatever you decide to write about, be it a Short Story, Poetry, or a full-length novel, or whatever, decide which genre' your work will fall under. It is one of the first things a publisher will want to know when you submit your manuscript, and strangely, one of the most difficult questions on the questionaire (for me). "Keechie" could have been placed in either Historical Fiction, Native American or Adventure, I had to choose only one. Then, after making THAT decision, the next question was, "What age group is appropriate for your book?" In other words, what age is your target reader? Oh my gosh! Now I have to RATE my own work!

The genre' you choose and the target age group will remain with your work forever, as far as that initial listing goes, and will be used by the booksellers who decide whether to put your book on their shelves, so choose wisely!

Read the first chapter of "KEECHIE" at http://www.freewebs.com/brew99/ and help me decide if "Pre-teen to Adult" was appropriate. (I am concerned about the choice of words I used in Keechie's vernacular not being appropriate for young readers)

COVER DESIGN

2005-10-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

Some customers in a bookstore are looking for their favorite author. Some are looking for a particular genre' of book. But there are those who just want to read a good book.

It is that last category that I, as an "unknown author", want to target. What is the first thing the customer notices? The COVER! A well-designed cover is the key to getting a potential customer to pick the book up. Next, he reads the synopsis. If that grabs him, the sale is made!

The cover is a psychological tool. It first "tells" the customer that it is more than likely of the genre' he is looking for. The color and style of the artwork forms an impression too. Is it a real photo? Is it a painting? (I can spot a Harlequin Romance at ten feet!) Is it just color, with the title in a contrasting shade?

All these styles lead a customer into picking up a particular book. If the synopsis catches his interest, then the cover did its job.

The cover shown on my website, http://www.freewebs.com/brew99/
is not officially the real cover yet, but it was submitted to the publisher as a possibility. It is an original watercolor by my wife, Rebalynn. I believe that it is just different enough to stand out on that long rack of books!

EDITING and DIALOGUE

2005-10-09T04:36:00.000-05:00

One of the best things I ever did while I was in the process of writing KEECHIE happened by pure chance. My 12-year-old daughter (whom I am homeschooling) was reading it chapter by chapter as I wrote it. As part of her Language Arts study, I had her "proofread" it and highlight the errors she saw, then we would discuss the things she thought was wrong.

One night, she asked me to read it to her so she could hear the way that I meant it to be heard. That was the revelation! Sentences that I had struggled over to get "just right", sounded terrible! It sounded forced, or unnatural. I would then try to say it just like I expected my character to talk, and the results were more natural, and flowed easily.

Since KEECHIE began as an experiment in southern dialect, and writing her words phonetically, I excuse myself for breaking one of the big taboos of writing. Everything I read now about writing dialogue says that you should never, never have your character continue to speak in the vernacular. Mention in the narrative that your character has a southern drawl, a lisp, or other characteristic, then use proper English words for her speech.

If I had done that with Keechie, she would have lost the quality that made her so endearing, at least to me.

Compare the following:

(Brian) “You’re sixty? You look like you’re barely a teenager! How did
you do it?”
(Keechie) “Furse, by not drankin’ pizon wada. Hyer, have somma mine,”
she said.

What if she had said, "First, by not drinking poisoned water. Here, have some of mine."

I like the first one better...

Or:

(Keechie explaining the Great Wheel of Life)
"Evathang gonna come back aroun’ ‘ventual lak. Big ol’ wheel be a’turnin’. Sometime you’s at de top, but den you gots to take yore turn at de bottom, knowin’ dat de Wheel gonna brang ya right back up on top soon ‘nuff.”

Compared with:

"Everything is going to come back around eventually. The Big Wheel is turning. Sometimes you are at the top, but then you have to take your turn at the bottom, knowing that the Wheel is going to bring you back the the top soon enough."

I know that the proper version is easier to read, and to understand, but it loses Keechie's childlike take on a deep philosophical concept. Some things need to be read a second time to "get it" anyway.

I like the old lady, and the way she talks. I want my readers to like her too. If Uncle Remus in The Song of the South had told the story of B'rer Rabbit and B'rer Fox in a British accent, enunciating every syllable, I think something would have been lost.

I just had a funny thought. Butterfly McQueen as Prissy in Gone With the Wind saying, "My goodness, Miss Scarlett. I don't know anything about delivering a child!"

Not nearly as memorable as, "Lawsy, Miss Scarlett. I don't know nuthin' `bout birthin' no babies!"

You may read the entire first chapter of KEECHIE on my website by clicking on http://www.freewebs.com/brew99/ Decide for yourself if writing in dialect was a mistake; or did it accomplish what I intended it to do—add to her character? I can take criticism if it helps me to become a better writer!

A WORD ON EDITING

2005-10-07T18:57:00.000-05:00

I just received my final chance today for making those last minute corrections in my manuscript. I now have 48 hours to re-read KEECHIE ( http://www.freewebs.com/brew99/ ) for the umpteenth time, and the scary thing is, every time I read it, I find more typos and things to correct. At this point, no wording or formatting is permitted—only small errors in spelling and punctuation allowed, since the book has, at this point, already been formatted into book form.

One of the most difficult things a writer can do is proofread his own work. (NOW I realize this!) The problem is that you, as the writer, knew what you MEANT to say. When you read the words, your brain will automatically correct what you wrote into what you MEANT to write. Brains are funny that way...

When I was given the option of having the publisher assign an editor to my manuscript, which would have taken an additional eight to nine months before going to print, or do the editing myself and have it in print in six to eight weeks. Since I was fairly confident in the Microsoft Word spellchecker, I went with the latter, and now that it's "down to the wire", I am having second thoughts about that decision.

Hiring an editor is expensive, but very likely worth the cost. The next best option is to have family and friends read it for you. The problem with this is that family and friends don't want to hurt your feelings! They give you "atta-boys" and "This is GREAT!" comments, but won't tell you that your grammar... well... SUCKS!

I can take criticism, especially if offered a solution on how I could have improved upon it. This is like a friend letting you go out in public with your zipper open, because he didn't want to embarass you by letting you know. Please, if you notice that, tell me, okay?

If your first book is poorly written, has spelling errors or glaring grammatical goofs, chances are the reader will not finish reading it, and worse, will not spend the money to buy your NEXT book.

I have found errors in books by famous authors, but they were few and forgivable because the story was good, and the author is well-known. I truly believe I have written a good story, but the "forgive" factor does not apply to a new, unknown author.

I now have 46 hours to make sure that my readers will not "find my zipper open".

BOOK SIGNINGS

2005-10-05T16:04:00.000-05:00

Book signings are yet another way to keep your book and your name in the public eye. Typically, very few books are sold that way, and the bookstore will usually want a cut of the sales. Some will order the books through the store, and give YOU a cut of the profit, but for new authors, they will probably want you to furnish your own books. That way, if they don’t sell, they aren’t stuck with them!

At your signing, have as many free handouts as you can. Things like brochures, business cards and bookmarks are ideal. Autograph everything—it will increase the chances of the potential customer hanging onto it.

And don’t just sit there at the table waiting for people to come to you. If you’re in a bookstore, get up and walk around, introduce yourself, engage them in conversation, invite them over to your table for the free stuff—then hand them one of your books. I have a successful author friend who says, “If you can get them to hold your book in their hands, they will usually buy it!” Is it psychology? Trickery? Who cares, as long as you make a sale! Slip a brochure and a few business cards into each book sold. Maybe they’ll give them to friends.

Exposure—that’s the name of the game!

And don't forget to visit http://www.freewebs.com/brew99/

Marketing Your "Baby"

2005-10-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

If an author doesn't market their own work, then who else is going to? Unless you have the financial means to hire an agent, the bulk of the promotion is up to you!

After all your friends and family have a book in their hand, then the real work begins. Never let an opportunity pass by—when you are standing in line at the grocery store, visiting book stores and libraries or waiting for the bus—pass out your business card and strike up conversations. My experience has been that very few people have actually "met" an author! Your card should have a bit about your book (A picture of the cover is a plus), the link to your website, your email address, and the ISBN number of the book so that it can be ordered from an on-line source.

It also is an advantage if you "just happen" to have copies of your book with you. A signed copy from an author that they just met will frequently clinch a sale. Be sure to stick a few extra business cards inside the book for them to give to their friends!

WEBSITE
Even before your book is in print, you can have a website set up. There are many free sites that let you get started early. It should contain a short synopsis of your book, a brief biography (tell a little about yourself), how to get a copy of your book (links to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.), whether it's in print or not. place a message like, "To reserve a signed copy of ***my book's name***, email me at myemailaddress@anywhere.com" on the front page.

Here's an example - my own free website... http://www.freewebs.com/brew99/

If they sign the guestbook and leave their email address, begin keeping a list of potential customers. When the book is available, EMAIL THEM!

BLOG
Blogging is new to me, but I don't want to miss a trick! Link your blog to your website, and vice-versa. Keeping your name and your book in as many eyes and minds as possible is the key to selling it!

NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES
Many publishers will initially contact your local newspapers and libraries that a "local author" has written a book. Prepare a "media kit" for your book and mail it to the papers anyway. A media kit is nothing more than a synopsis of your book, a short bio, and answer a few questions that they will ask anyway...

What makes your book special?
Why should anyone buy your book?
What genre' is your book?
What age group does your book target?
Contact information, business cards, bookmarks, etc.

More later!

Now What?

2005-10-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

Now that I had written a decent-sized novel and told the story that I wanted to tell, what do I do with it?

Send it to a publisher, of course. That was a rude awakening! They don't want unknown authors. If they respond at all, it's a very polite, "No thanks" if you're lucky, and worse if you aren't.

BUT... there are ways. Self-publishing is one option, but it will cost you. There are "Print-on Demand" publishers who will get your book into print for no fee, and as soon as its done, they usually list it on on-line sites like Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

But then the real work comes in. You suddenly discover that the rest is up to you! After the editing, spell-checking, having friends read it, doing the page proofs, working with cover design, adding bios and a short synopsis, acknowledgement and dedication pages, you discover that now, after all this work... someone is expected to do the...

Marketing—and that will be in the next installment.

The Birth of a Book

2005-10-01T19:15:00.000-05:00

It all started when...

I wanted to let my BBS group to "hear" the sound of the southern dialect. I began by writing sentences phonetically, so that, if they read it aloud, they would "hear" the southern drawl.

During the ensuing discussion, I mentioned the fact that white southern speech and black southern speech, although similar, are very different—especially to a southerner.

This is where "KEECHIE" was born. I invented (created?) an old half-breed Indian woman whose father (a black man) taught her to speak "white man's language".

I used the 1950's south as the setting, since that was when and where I grew up—listening to the old black men tell stories as they sat around the pot-bellied stove in my dad's old country store. If you have ever read the "Uncle Remus" stories by Joel Chandler Harris, or have seen the movies, Song of the South or The Color Purple, then you already have an idea of the sound of their voices.

The first few paragraphs that I wrote, inserting Keechie's words into dialogue, captivated my BBS group—and they wanted more! So it became a short story.

Then something almost magical happened—my main character, Keechie, took over! It was as if she wanted her story told, and the short story became a 46,000 word novel. Then came the sequel, which is in progress—at 80,000 words and still not finished!

At my book's website http://www.freewebs.com/brew99 there is a sample chapter of KEECHIE to read, so you can get an idea of what I'm trying to describe. (There's even a bio there with a picture of me (I had the make-up department make me look really old).