Wattpad do you think?

So, I've got some great news! My first shipment of "The Forsaken" arrived today! I'm overcome with joy. I'm happy to say that the book looks even better in my hands than I imagined it would. I've done my geeking out over it and now it's back to business.

I've got a lot of book promoting to do and I'm a one woman team. So to help boost enthusiasm for my book, I will be releasing one chapter a month on Wattpad. This way readers can get a taste of my writing style and if they like the story they can share it with others. Wattpad is free to join, and everything on the site is free to read. If you don't mind reading the book like an old time serial in a newspaper, and you're short on funds, you can read my book here. However, I should warn you that "The Forsaken" consists of a prologue and fifteen chapters. As a whole (with prologue) it is 349 pages. My chapters average at about eighteen pages each. By the time the whole book is posted on Wattpad, the second book "The Offspring" will be released. Also, I plan to only leave the book in its entirety on Wattpad for a week before I will remove most of the book, leaving only segments as samples. However, once book two is out I will do the same thing with "The Offspring" and so on until the entire series is published. Right now you'll find the prologue and chapter one on my Wattpad page. Tomorrow I will upload Chapter Two. I'll make sure to keep you all informed as new chapters are posted to my page. I'm going to keep it short and sweet today, so that’s it for this blog.

Now go forth and check out my Wattpad page http/wattpad.com/RJCraddock or if you can't wait over a year to read the whole thing through than you can just go get it at www.rjcraddock.com. Happy reading!

R.J. Craddock

Is It Your Cup of Tea?

Yes, the wait is over and I'm happy to announce that my debut novel "The Forsaken" came out May 1st! This is three years of hard work realized, and I couldn't be more thrilled. This is a huge accomplishment for me. Self-publishing is a lot of work, but I believe it is very rewarding and empowering as well. One of my biggest concerns this last year while submitting my work to publishers was how much control I would retain of my book. Well, with self-publishing from Createspace, and utilizing freelance professionals, I was able to keep total control of my book and still produce a quality product.

I read a blog recently that said "Self-publishing is ruining the industry" and I got to say I disagree. I think it's amazing that we live in an age where technology makes it possible for everyone to have a voice, for everyone to find an audience. In another blog a reader made a comment, "It's the job of the book reviewers to help the readers find the cream of the crop and the garbage will stay at the bottom of the heap." I partially agree with this statement. However, different critics have different tastes and their opinions will reflect those tastes. Likewise we listen to the opinions of others who have similar tastes to ours. I'm a big movie fanatic and at one point in my life being a film critic was my dream job, so I want to liken the publishing industry to the film industry for a moment.

There are countless production studios out there. Every single one produces different movies across all the genres. Isn't it fair to say that not one studio has a flawless record? What I mean is not one studio can boast that they've never made a crappy movie. At some point or another, they've all had a box office flop or been criticized by the critics. So, similarly, I have to say that just because a film (or book) is produced by a big company doesn't mean that it’s quality, or does it guarantee that it's everyone's cup of tea. There are a lot of big budget films out there that make me wonder what the big guys are thinking! I often say to my husband, "Who read that script and said, ‘Wow! We've got to give this guy a couple million dollars to make this piece of crap!’” However, the same movies that make me question my beloved film industry's integrity are the same movies that others rave about. Likewise a lot of the books that are produced by big publishing houses and get worldwide acclaim, I personally can't stand.

I recently read a book that I thought was just awful that was traditionally published by a smaller press. I went to leave a review for it on goodreads and was surprised by how many glowing reviews others had written of the same book. I thought, "Either these people have awful taste, or they see something I don't." Somehow books like these find an audience, but not because they’re better than others, or have a fancy name attached to the cover. There are nearly seven billion people living on this earth, and every one of them responds differently to the same things. So, of course, we don't all love the same movies, music, or books. We all have minds of our own.

The books that get published traditionally are ones that appealed to a particular person’s taste at a particular time. J.K. Rowling's manuscript "The Sorcerer's Stone" was rejected ten times before she was offered a publishing contract. Now she's a world renowned author, with a best-selling, critically-acclaimed series, and box office hit films based off of her books. I bet those other publishers wish they had taken a chance on her book now, but at the time Harry Potter just wasn't what they were looking for.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that, yes, it's nice to have a big publisher behind you. There are advantages to having someone else invest big bucks into your book to get it on the shelf and in the hands of readers. However, it doesn't guarantee you'll be a success, nor is it the only way to get your work out there. Self-publishing has been a great experience for me and I'm glad I did it! I believe there is an audience out there for my book, all I have to do is get out there and find the readers that are waiting for my words.

That’s enough of a rant from me today. You can find me and "The Forsaken" (The Children of Cain Series, Book #1) on goodreads. Now, go forth and visit www.rjcraddock.com to just read up on my book or to get a copy of your own. I think it's awesome but you don't have to take my word for it. Read it for yourselves and then let me know what you think.

R.J. Craddock

The Forsaken Comes Out May 1st!

Yes, you read it right, tomorrow my debut novel "The Forsaken" will be available! So in honor of this momentous occasion I am sharing a excerpt from said novel featuring my heroine, Gwenevere. No last name? Nope. She doesn't have a last name because she doesn't know who she really is or from where she comes. All she has is a locket inscribed with the name Gwenevere, disjointed memories, and a recurring dream that threatens death should she ever return home. "The Forsaken" is the first book out of six in "The Children of Cain" series. In book one we follow our Heroine's journey from age five to age eleven as she tries to discover her own identity and find her place in this strange human world. However, this is not a Young Adult novel, this is a very dark tale with grown up themes. It's not graphic per say, but might not be suitable for anyone under eighteen years of age. Without further ado, her is a little sample of "The Forsaken".
Enjoy!

“Where do you think you’re going?” Beatrice all but shouts at her as her fingers dig into the flesh of Gwen’s arm. Gwen fights and struggles to get free. All around her, she can feel the customers and employees gawking, the chatter of their many voices sounding loud in her ears until she feels as though her head is going to burst. Gwen stops struggling and turns to behold a dark look of hatred on the middle-aged woman towering over her.

“Let me go!” Gwen commands. Her voice becoming deep and hollow, the sound filling the whole diner with its resonating tone, penetrating all the spectator’s ears and reverberating through their skulls. Suddenly, as if magically, Beatrice releases her. With her eyes going wide and her expression blank, she stands up erect before Gwen, her gaze transfixed upon Gwen’s yellow-green eyes.

Raven comes running through the door. He stops short when he realizes that everyone save Gwen is acting strangely. He looks all around the diner noticing that all present are sitting or standing stiffly, bodies erect, all turned toward Gwen, their faces devoid of feeling or emotion. Gwen is now their only focus, commanding their strict attention as they stare at her with wide eyes.

“What happened?” Raven turns to Gwen who looks around her in disbelief.
       “I don’t know. I mean, I did this once before, but it was kind of an accident.”
       “Well, what did you do?” Raven asks, perplexed as he waves a hand in front of Beatrice’s eyes to see if she’ll flinch or blink. She doesn’t react, just continues to stare, transfixed at Gwen.

“I just spoke, and this happened!” Gwen exclaims. She frowns at the kind man who still holds the door open; she puts out a hand toward him. “You can go now,” she says, but he doesn’t move. She says it again, this time staring deep into his eyes. Suddenly, he springs to life, startling both Gwen and Raven.

“Have a good night, miss,” he says smiling down to Gwen and then quickly exits to join his family who await him outside. The door swings shut behind him, leaving Raven and Gwen to stare after him in amazement.
       “You can tell them what to do?” Raven asks, flabbergasted.

“I don’t know,” Gwen replies. She scans the rest of the occupants of the diner and is somewhat relieved to see that their condition had not altered. “Let me see if I can do it again?” She says to Raven as she plants herself right in front of the unfriendly Beatrice. Taking a deep breath, Gwen looks deep into her eyes, and using the same commanding voice she says, “Go open the cash register and give us all the money inside.”
      Just as the man had done, Beatrice springs into life, a cheery, happy disposition about her as she turns and practically skips back behind the counter. She pushes a few buttons and the register springs open with a chime. The once-rude waitress reaches in, pulls out the entire cash teal, and holds it out to Gwen, a big beaming smile on her wrinkled face.
      Raven and Gwen exchange a look of awe. Gwen slowly smiles, a nervous laugh erupting out of her as she reaches out and takes the teal from the waitress who just stands their grinning at them like an idiot doll.      

“Hurry, go get our bags from the truck!” Gwen orders Raven who immediately rushes out the door to obey. While he is gone, Gwen is left alone with the mannequin-like people; all their eyes upon her, making her skin crawl. But Beatrice’s unnatural smile makes her the most uncomfortable.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees something and turns her head to look out the glass window into the dark night. Suddenly, a man dressed in a fancy white suit appears on the other side of the glass windowpane. It is the man from the forest, the same man that started the fire in her vision. He smiles, and Gwen feels her inners turn to ice. She stares wide eyed at this apparition, feeling cold and ashamed as if standing their naked.

“You are all powerful, aren’t you, my dear?” A voice like dark music in an empty room echoes in her mind. The man before her just smiles, his lips hadn’t moved, yet she knows that it is his voice that she hears. 

“You can kill them if you want. Or just kill one. Just to see how it feels. You know you can do it. The power is there, just reach out…” he speaks of killing in a dispassionate tone, he raises an eyebrow at her as if to issue a challenge.

“Who are you?” Gwen finds herself speaking in her mind, knowing somehow that she can’t push him out of her head.

It only takes a minute for Raven to return, yet for Gwen, it feels like an eternity has passed. A bell dings. Startled, Gwen turns to watch Raven walk into the diner, their bags tucked under his large arms.
     “Here is your bag, Gwen.” Raven hands it to her, his face flushed from running, his eyes alight with excitement.

Gwen flashes a look back where the man in white had been standing, finding nothing but the dark, empty night behind the clear diner windowpane. In shock, Gwen stares not sure what to think.

All right, well... there it is. If you want to read more then you'll just have to go buy the book tomorrow! Now go forth and share the news with one and all. "The Forsaken" comes out May 1st!

R.J. Craddock

Favorite Movie Quotes - Comedy

So, I noticed the other day that my movie quoting turrets doesn’t seem to be carrying over into my blog. Apparently, I only suffer from this condition verbally. However, to make up for this oversight I have decided to do a series of my favorite movie quotes from different genres. Today’s genre is Comedy. The following will be the quotes and a brief description of the film and why I love these lines. These are in no particular order so let’s get to it shall we?

1)      “There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world, t’would be a pity to damage yours.”  - The Princess Bride

Released 1987, it stars Cary Elwes, Robin Wright (before she was married to Sean Penn) and Mandy Patinkin. It’s got fencing, fighting, giants, monsters, revenge, chases, escapes, true love, and Miracles. It’s a med-evil comedy not to be missed. Honestly, if you haven’t heard of this movie then you might have been living under a rock for the last thirty years.

2)      “We’ve got a piper down. I repeat, a piper is down!” – So I Married an Axe Murderer

It stars Mike Meyers, Nancy Travis, and Anthony LaPaglia, with Alan Arkin in the supporting role. This hilarious comedy/mystery came out in 1993. About a young poet with a phobia of marriage and a tendency to find strange flaws in all his girlfriends, who suddenly falls in love only to find out that his dream girl just might be a husband killing maniac!

3)      “I was in love once… she was Brazilian, or Chinese, or something weird.” – Anchorman

It’s a 1970’s period piece about a legendary anchorman suddenly having to share his spotlight with a female co-anchor. With an all-star cast including: Will Farrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, and Steve Carrell (along with many famous cameos). This film just might be one of the funniest and most quotable movies of all times.

4)      “It’s called a day spa! D-a-i-y-e… Daiye. – Zoolander

Released in 2001 starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Farrell. A ridiculously funny film about the hard life of a male model, and the pressures of being professionally really, really, ridiculously good looking. One of my favorite movies to quote.

5)      “He can’t forgive me and I can’t forgive him for that.” - Money Pit

A young couple desperately needs to find a new place after the girl’s ex-boyfriend returns from Europe, kicking them out of his apartment. They end up being conned into buying a beautiful disaster of a house and the story follows their renovation nightmare and the havoc it wrecks on their romance. Released in 1986; starring the very funny Tom Hanks and Shelly Long, in what is perhaps the best comic performance of either of their careers.

There’s my top five. Each of these films had multiple great quotes but these are the ones that come to my mind the most readily. Unfortunately, I had to leave a few of my other favorite comedies off this list, so I might end up doing a part two Favorite Movie Quotes - Comedy later on. Anyhow, there they are. I hope you enjoyed the quotes and share my excellent taste in comedy. Or, if you haven’t heard of or seen some or all of these flicks, perhaps you’ll go check them out after reading this. Now go forth and share the cinematic love.

R.J. Craddock

Introducing Raven

With the release of my book “The Forsaken” on the horizon, I'd like to take a moment to introduce you all to one of my characters: Raven, aka Adam Matthews. Although the series centers on Gwenevere, Raven does play a significant part in the books. Found lost and wandering in the woods Gwenevere is put into St. Paul's Catholic Orphanage.There she meets a kindred spirit, Adam, who she promptly renames Raven. Both misunderstood they bond together and find out that they are not like the other children; there is something supernatural about them. When Gwen finds she can no longer stay at St. Paul’s, Raven embarks on a journey with her to find their kind. A lot of this story was inspired from my own childhood. I am not an orphan and did not grow up in a place like St. Paul's. However, I, too, was misunderstood and was befriended by a boy; his name was Jonathan. In a lot of ways Raven was based off of him and our friendship. Below is an excerpt from “The Forsaken” featuring Raven just to give you a taste of his character and my writing style. I hope you enjoy the read.

                                                                                                                                                                              

“What’s going on, Raven?” Gwen asks, perplexed. Then, a stream of images invades her mind as she senses the thoughts and feelings of the driver. The things he’s thinking of Raven appall her. Apparently, the man thinks her best friend--the nicest, kindest boy in the world--is some kind of child molester. Gwen is just about to try and calm the driver down when she notices something strange happening with Raven.

            “We’re not going back there!” Raven shouts. The twelve year old boy shakes all over, almost as if he’s having a seizure. His muscles are tensed; he seems to be fighting his own body for control. Gwen gasps in horror as Raven’s features began to change, his very form mutating before her eyes.

            Hair begins to sprout out of his flesh as if by magic, covering him in a black-silvery fur. His fingernails grow, his hands becoming like massive claws. His golden eyes become animal-like as his nose and mouth becomes a muzzle, his ears becoming pointed and furry. All the while, Raven screams in agony, as every bone in his body seems to realign itself, disjointing from its natural human form into that of a ferocious animal. Behind the wall of his pain, he is vaguely aware of Gwen’s little voice screaming his name, her little hands tugging at his left arm, even as it distorts and reshapes itself. He can’t comprehend anything else happening around him, the excruciating pain swallowing him whole into a cocoon of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are not his own. He feels the feral animal instinct taking over his will. Raven’s human consciousness is being suppressed by the animal’s need to hunt.

            Gwen tries in vain to get Raven to respond to her, to look at her. However, he has transformed almost completely, to the point that he no longer resembles a boy, but a wolf of some kind. All her attention is focused on trying to touch Raven’s mind, completely forgetting about the man driving the truck.

            She catches a sudden gleam of metal in her peripheral vision and turns barely in time to see Rex--whose face is distorted in panic and fear--pull out a handgun and aim it at Raven. With a speed that even surprises her, Gwen grabs Rex’s hand and yanks the weapon upward, the gun going off suddenly, shooting a hole in the roof of the truck.

            Rex gives out a yell of surprise, the truck swerving all over the road. He tries to regain control of the wheel with his left hand as he struggles with Gwen for the gun with his right. Suddenly, the truck veers off the road into the forest, jostling the vehicle as it goes over dirt and rock. Gwen lurches forward, and Rex hits the windshield with a loud crack when the truck rams straight into a tree, causing the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop.

            Gwen rocks backward and hits her head on the back wall of the cab, her vision blurs and the world begins to spin around her. Gwen tries to regain control of her senses when she hears a low growling sound from Raven. She pears over the seat and sees a large, silver and black wolf sitting in the passenger seat; a cold, gold-eyed stare directed at Rex. The man, barely recovering from the impact of the crash, turns and looks disbelieving at the animal only two feet away from him. The black wolf bares his teeth at Rex, his growl intensifying. In a panic, Rex, with a hand to his bleeding forehead, opens the driver side door and stumbles out into the forest, desperately trying to flee from the creature. No sooner does Rex escape then the wolf pounces, leaping out of the truck through the open door and into the night after his prey.

Well, there you have it. Coming soon more tidbits and insights into the book “The Forsaken” coming out in May 2013. If it peeked your curiosity, go forth and share, comment, and like on Facebook and Twitter.

R.J. Craddock

www.rjcraddock.com

Win a Free Copy of my book "The Forsaken!" - Contest Blog

I promised to announce the details of the contest for the free copy of my book "The Forsaken" so here it is. There are two contests:

Contest #1 (Facebook) - Starting today, April 3rd, until May 1st the person who comments/shares/likes my R.J. Craddock Author Fan page, and my posts from that page, the most wins a book! (easy enough, right?) Remember, my blog is updated every Monday and Friday.

Contest #2 (www.rjcraddock.com) - Again starting today, April 3rd, until May 1st the person who refers the most people to join my website gets a free book. To do that you have to be a member yourself. Subscribe and then the site will give you the option to invite your friends to join. When you do this, add a personal message. Make sure to let them know that they need to make a comment on my contest blog on the website and add the name of the person who referred them. That's how you'll get credit. On May 2nd I'll announce the winners! Good luck, everyone!

Now as far as the book's actual release date, we're looking at May 1st. I'll have my offical book launch party a week or two after that. I'll make sure to annouce that as well. Keep an eye out for the "The Forsaken" trailer coming by the end of the month. 

Again, if you're entering the Website Contest, your referrals have to post your name in the comments of the contest blog at www.rjcraddock.com. Make sure to tell them that, or you won't get credit for them! Thanks all for entering the contest. Happy sharing and such. 

Now go forth and promote my book for me, and win a free book while you're at it!

R.J. Craddock

How “The Forsaken” Came to Be.

Over the years I've had a lot of concepts for books and screenplays. None has ever taken hold of me and pretty much taken over my life, the way The Children of Cain series has. Where did my inspiration come from? Well, a lot of places really. It came from a lifetime of reading Fantasy and Folklore. It came from reading bad books, that, to my amazement, were bestsellers and thinking, “I know I can write something better than this.” It came from countless hours at tedious jobs that require none of my intellect, that, were it not for letting my imagination run wild, I might have fallen asleep on my feet. Also, I think the idea was germinating in my psyche for quite a while, just waiting for the right moment to blossom into something significant.

Once it did blossom I was filled with utter amazement. I knew right then that this was it, the story I had been waiting all my life to be inspired to write. Suddenly, the woman who could start a million things but rarely ever finish anything was writing nonstop, determined to actually finish a novel--even if it killed her (sometimes I felt like it just might). Finally, after a year or so, the first draft was complete. I know a year is a long time, but my kids never slept and never left me alone, so finding the time to write proved difficult. Next, I had to embark on the phase of writing that every author loves; editing and re-writing. This took another tedious year, during which I started querying publishers and agents. They say you’re not a real author until you've gotten that first rejection letter. Others say that you can get as many as a hundred rejections (or more) before you finally get a publishing contract. So, when I got my first rejection I just thought, “Okay, that’s one down, ninety-nine rejections to go!”  Eventually I did get a publishing offer. However, the company’s reputation wasn't solid. Since I was afraid to sign a contract for five years and end up disappointed and stuck in a bad situation, I declined the offer.

At this point I decided to take matters into my own hands. Over the past four years I’ve taken some necessary steps: I joined The League of Utah Writers, I went to a few Writers’ Conferences, and spent endless hours researching the publishing industry. One thing became apparent; it’s extremely difficult to make a decent living as a writer. It’s sad but true. The average novel can be anywhere from three hundred to one thousand pages. Typically a novel can take three months to a year to write, then, another 6 months to a year of re-writes, edits, and proof reads before it’s considered a polished “publish-ready” book. Get picked up by a big publishing house and you’ll get a signing bonus. Finally, after all that time, you’re now getting paid for your work. However, the publisher has to recoup your signing bonus from the profits of your book once released before you’ll see a cent of your royalties. Depending on how well your book sells--and how large your bonus was--this might take a while. Writers also don’t get much say in the cover art or look of their book. Did I mention that the average royalties an author gets of each book sold is a paltry twenty percent? This is why most authors do not become millionaires.

So, what then? What was I to do? Writing had always been my dream job. I had finished my first novel and was almost done with my second. I couldn't just give it up. This series now had a life of its own and would not be stopped. So I decided to self-publish. Now I know in the past there has been a lot of a negative connotation associated with self-publishing. That’s not so much the case nowadays thanks to the digital age. You can pay a vanity press to publish your work, but you end up paying big bucks to do it. It’ll look the same as a traditionally published book only you’re the investor; it’s your money on the line. Or, you can do what I’m doing, and publish through a company like Amazon. They have a print on demand program set up through Creatspace. Again you can pay their professional team to do all the work and sell it online, or you can do it all yourself. You can higher freelancers to do everything from editing, cover art, and formatting for a lot cheaper than what a vanity press will charge and get the same results. You don’t have to pay to have an inventory of books to sell; they print your book as their sold on the site! Also, you keep 80% of the royalties! I’m not kidding. When I really looked into the whole process it became clear that this was the way to go. I was able to hire an editor and proofreader to polish my book. Since I studied Art and have some Graphic Design training I got to design my own cover and all the interior illustrations; something I've always wanted to do. Thanks to tablets like Kindle, Nook, and the eBook revolution, bookstores are going the way of the video stores… extinct. Most of the reading populace today buys their books online, both print books and eBooks alike. So, being available in the bookstores isn't as big a deal anymore, however, if you’re book is in demand bookstores can order it in bulk at a discount from Amazon and Barnes n’ Noble online. So as I see it, it’s a win/win. Instead of spending all my money on publishing the book, I’m simply investing in advertising, marketing, and publicity.

Sure my book might flop, or it might be a huge success, either way I’m getting to do what I love! And if I make some money doing it, great! But ultimately, I’m an artist at heart. I write because it is in my soul and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life not writing, not creating. I do it for me. If I should procure a following then I’ll get the chance to share my passion with others. Whether it is one person, or hundreds of thousands of people, it is a blessing and privilege just to be writing.

Now enough about me… go forth and live your wonderful lives, but, remember, in May the next great American novel is coming out and you don’t want to miss it!  ;)

R.J. Craddock