tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82866116205476515942024-03-05T10:06:17.364-08:00The Viking's ApprenticeAuthor blog for Kevin McLeodAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-87527958912925082182016-12-05T05:01:00.001-08:002016-12-05T05:49:38.086-08:00My mailing list is open to new members now!Hi everyone. I hope this post finds you well. It't just a quick one today. My mailing list is now open and receiving new members. When you join up you receive a link for The Master's Revenge completely free on any device you may own. So if it's a kindle, IBook, kobo device or any other you can read it free.<br />
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By joining my mailing list you will also be among the first people to read book 5 in the series, maybe even help me choose the title, and also be the first to hear Journey to the Other Side on audiobook when it comes out early in 2017.<br />
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You will have the chance to become one of my beta readers and also receive exclusive free artwork from the series as well.<br />
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What are you waiting for? Clink the link below and I look forward to speaking with you soon.<br />
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Sign up <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/sign-up-page">here</a><br />
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Have a great week.<br />
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KevinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-18585427568583128452016-09-30T08:16:00.001-07:002016-09-30T08:17:48.202-07:00Two free international best sellers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything on my blog. Months and months of getting book 4 finalized and out there for my fans to read. It’s had some great feedback, and for that I’m thankful.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">It’s always a nervous time for an author when they put new work out there for people to read. Every book I’ve released has gone to number 1 in it’s genre on Amazon within a couple of hours of being available, which is fantastic, but always puts just a bit more pressure on the next one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">My first book, The Viking’s Apprentice, has scored over 20 genre number 1’s on Amazon, and won some great awards along the way. Without the fans who bought and read the book none of that would have happened.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">It’s been a brilliant journey so far and I look forward to whatever is coming next. Well actually I know what’s coming next. Book 5 is underway and I think it has the potential to be the best book in the series so far, but I would say that I guess! Be ready for some surprises and possibly a glimpse at another world.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I entitled this post, ‘Two free best sellers’ for a reason. I’ve decided to make The Viking’s Apprentice free forever for everyone on all eBook formats. What’s more when you download the book there is a sign up form at the start and end that will take you to a page to get book 2, The Master’s Revenge, for free as well. Two free International best sellers isn’t a bad deal. I’ll sweeten it further. When you sign up for my email list you get access to some pretty cool special gifts throughout the year. You’ll receive some exclusive artwork from time to time, some advance chapters of forth coming books, and every month one subscriber will win signed copies of my books simply for being on the list. You may even get the chance to part of my advance reading group. Let me know what you think of the books and please leave a review if you have the time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Simply click this link and select your reader of choice by clicking the book cover under that heading. If your reader is not listed select the Smashwords option. <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/where-to-buy">kevinmcleodauthor.com</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-39206172623165574562015-04-02T07:50:00.002-07:002015-04-02T07:50:49.763-07:00<div style="border: 0px; color: #2c3e50; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
Firstly, has it really been so long since I wrote a blog post? What have I been doing! Let me apologise for that straight away.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><a href="http://viewbook.at/TVA" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a></span></span> has continued to do very well and during a recent free promo day (23rd of March) it was downloaded 23700 times. This was amazing and made it the most downloaded children's book in the world that day and the 4th most downloaded book on Amazon. This was also the day that audible version came out. I'm running a competition on my website to win the audible version for free. This will run through April for all of you that are interested. There are 5 copies up for grabs and it is a simple competition to enter with just one click. Follow this link to my competitions page where you'll also find a free signed paperback giveaway being hosted by <a href="http://goodreads.com/">goodreads.com</a> Here is the link<a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/#!competitions-and-giveaways/cd7m" target="_blank"> My Competitions page</a>. It's always worth checking back as more competitions will be coming up. If you just want to go ahead and buy a copy of the audiobook you can here <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Vikings-Apprentice-Audiobook/B00UVVHWLI/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1427986155&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audio version</a></div>
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Enough about me now on to twitter and how to build that following. Interesting content and the best book in the world will not guarantee you success on twitter. If no one sees it then no one reads its right? I've begun to really build my following and I'm doing this using two simple techniques that anyone can do and costs nothing. My twitter following used to consist of my wife and two fake followers. It's now up to just over 6000 and grows about 100 to 200 a day with very little effort. </div>
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The first technique is called the 6 minute technique. Go on twitter and find someone who is in your area of interest with a large following (don't start that clock yet). Once you've found the perfect person on twitter follow them (it's only polite) and then have a look at their followers. What you're looking for is people with roughly the same amount of followers as people they are following. So for example they are following 5000 and are followed by 4900 then this person is ideal! Start your clock. Go through the followers and follow everyone who fits into the above category. Once that clock hits six minutes stop. Why? Well for one you don't want to spend your whole day on twitter trying to follow people and you don't want to fall foul of any of twitter's rules on following people. </div>
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If you had completed this step you've probably followed between 50 and 100 people. Of those it's a sure fire thing that most will follow you back. It's what they do and you can tell that by the followers to following ratio. </div>
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The second technique is similar to the first but it uses a software that's twitter approved so don't worry. It used to be called justunfollow but it is now called crowdfire. It's free and simple to use. It loads up your twitter and shows you who doesn't follow you back. This is important especially if you are below 2000 followers as twitter won't let you follow above that until you have 2000 followers. </div>
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Crowdfire allows you to see who on your following list hasn't tweeted in a long time and is effectively dormant. This allows you to remove them and frees up room to follow more active accounts. You can look at who you are following and again go back to the six minute technique and bring up their followers. Crowdfire goes one step better as it shows you when the person last sent a tweet so you get an idea how active they are. Crowdfire also allows you to send out an automated thank you message to everyone who follows you. This is important as you can provide a link to your book or website or facebook page etc in this message. The free version has limitations but none that will stop you doing any of the above. The paid version just lets you do a bit more. Click the link to go to their website. <a href="http://www.crowdfire.com/" target="_blank"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Crowdfire</span></span></a></div>
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Once you start to build up that following get interacting and keep tweeting out your great content. The more you get retweeted the more reach you'll gain and the more the world will see you. Here's a link to my twitter account. Be great for you to join me there. <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">My Twitter</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-29061861255856208602014-06-30T07:38:00.000-07:002014-07-04T10:56:24.776-07:00Release date gets closer for 'Journey to the Other Side.'Ok, it's not the most catchy title for a blog post but it does capture what's happening right now. My third book in The Viking's Apprentice series is due for release later this month or early in August. This is a nervous time for any writer. A time where their faith in their own work is put to the test; a very public test.<br />
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Soon I will find out what the readers think of book 3. Will it achieve number 1 across Amazon in it's genre as the other two have? Obviously I truly hope it does, however in reality I have no idea.<br />
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The actual writing of the book finished 2 weeks ago. It's with the editor, (same editor I used for book 2, Karen) and she will be tough but fair, and won't pull any punches if something doesn't add up. Writers can get defensive when the editor points out a flaw or a mistake. I used to, but not any more. It takes more than the author to complete a good book. The author has the skill to write a story, but others help make it presentable to the public.<br />
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The cover is also a work in progress, and again I am using the same artist I used for book 2. Ash is a talented artist, and his cover for The Master's Revenge won cover of the year 2013 in the children's category in the AuthorsDB contest. For book 3 we have passed the cover back and forth a few times and it's now finished apart from a couple of minor changes, and the blurb for the back of the paperback version. I posted an early version to my facebook page, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice</a> feel free to have a look at the cover, and don't forget to like the page, and leave me a comment. I always answer any comments personally.<br />
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As a book launch nears I find a lot of my time is used up preparing social media which is something I enjoy. Hootsuite is my weapon of choice, but I'm sure others are just as good. Once again, as stated in a previous blog, I don't get paid to support any social media tool over another. I just call it like I see it. I find Hootsuite easy to use and it links with all my social media platforms which makes it straight forward for me.<br />
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I'm not a social media master, but I definitely see improvement in my skills from this time last year. It's a required part of an author's work whether they are self published or traditionally published. As always if there any authors out there who are starting out and need some help finding their feet they can contact me through this blog or through any of my social media contacts which are listed below.<br />
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I will keep you all updated with the timetable for the launch of book 3, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as you did books 1 and 2. I thank you for your support and the great number of messages I receive on my facebook and twitter. I genuinely appreciate the support, and the books would not be a success without the readers.<br />
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Oh, I almost forgot if you haven't got the first two books and would like the chance to win sign copies head over to goodreads via these links to enter for free.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/93489-the-viking-s-apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice paperback</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/93490-the-viking-s-apprentice-ii-the-master-s-revenge" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge paperback</a><br />
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If you just can't wait and feel you must have both books right now then you can visit my website buying page and it has all the links to every platform. Whether you use Amazon, Ibooks, kobo, nook or any other readers they are all there just waiting for you. Follow this link <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/#!where-to-buy/ctyx" target="_blank">Buy the books here</a><br />
The first two books are only 99p/cents until book 3 is launched at which point their price goes back to normal so don't delay to join the adventure!<br />
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The Viking's Apprentice achieved number 1 in US, UK and Canada, was Reader's choice in the Scottish Daily Record and chosen as the reading book for some schools in Scotland for ages 8 to 11.<br />
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The Master's Revenge achieved number 1 in the US and UK and won cover of the year in 2013 in the children's category of the AuthorsDB.com annual contest.<br />
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Chart position is from Amazon genre data.<br />
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My contact details...<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">Twitter @bannon1975</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">website</a><br />
email me <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a><br />
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Have a good week everyone, speak to you all soon.<br />
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Kevin!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-88337044790991706232014-04-15T02:55:00.000-07:002014-04-15T02:55:37.544-07:00Goodreads Most of you who read my blog regularly will know that I'm not paid by or connected to any website or product. I would like to recommend something for authors looking to increase awareness for their books. As always this is based on my experience.<br />
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Many of you will be aware of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">Goodreads.com</a> which is a site for authors and readers to connect and share recommendations for books etc. I joined Goodreads roughly a year ago and set myself the target of having 100 people add my book to their lists within the first year. Not a very challenging target I thought but like all sites of this size how do you get yourself noticed?<br />
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I joined various groups on the website and interacted with other authors and readers. Gradually my list began to build and after ten months 76 people had added my book, <a href="http://viewbook.at/TVA" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a>. Now just two months after that 920 have added <a href="http://viewbook.at/TVA" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> to read and 644 have added the second book in the series <a href="http://mybook.to/Mastersrevenge" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge</a>. How did this huge jump happen? What made over 1500 people suddenly add my books in a short period after only 76 had added it in ten months?<br />
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The answer is simple and something every author should do on Goodreads in my opinion. I did a giveaway for both books. I offered two copies of each book up for free. I opened the giveaways for a period of two months and did nothing else. I didn't even advertise the giveaways apart from two posts on my facebook page, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice FB</a>. The reason I chose not to advertise the giveaway was that I wanted to see how much effect Goodreads could have on it's own with very little help from me. The results were amazing. Adding both giveways together, over 3000 people entered and half of them added my books to their reading list increasing the visibility.<br />
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Setting up the giveway is simple and takes five minutes. You select which of your books you want to giveaway, add some details about it and select which countries you are willing to send it to. The giveaway is for paperbacks/hardbacks only. It's not available for ebooks. Please remember that when you select the countries you will have to pay the postage cost for the books. Also remember to sign the copies.<br />
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It's simple, effective and it will get your book out there to the people you want to reach. Give it some thought and if you have any questions at all please get in touch either on the blog or through my website <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">Kevinmcleodauthor</a>.<br />
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If you were not one of the lucky winners or if you would like to buy a copy of my books you can get the ebooks for 0.99 for a limited time at all online retailers listed on my website, click the link to select your Ebook of choice. <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/#!where-to-buy/ctyx" target="_blank">Buy the books</a><br />
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Book three in the series is coming in May 2014.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-3673236479557978902014-03-31T15:59:00.000-07:002014-03-31T15:59:08.394-07:00How to reach your audience. My tips for writers of children's fictionToday I'd like to talk about the things I have found most useful when trying to reach and engage with my audience.<br />
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My first book, The Viking's Apprentice was published just over a year ago. I'd written it, put it on all the usual sites and sat back waiting for the money to roll in. Tumble weed rolled in, but not money, and certainly not a following. What was I doing wrong? I'd written a good story, people that did read it seemed to like it and I appeared briefly in the top 10 on Amazon in my genre.<br />
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I checked my twitter account and I had gone from three followers to one! Twitter had removed to the two fake eggs that were following me. I needed a new approach, I needed to get active and engage with my readers.<br />
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I sat down and thought about it. Who are my readers? How can I reach them? How can this unknown author from a small town in Scotland reach the world. I made a list which looked something like this.<br />
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1. Colleagues in my day job<br />
2. Schools<br />
3. Libraries<br />
4. Get more entries for my list.<br />
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<u><b>The Day Job</b></u><br />
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Still three ideas is better than no ideas so I began with those. If you are a new author the chances are that you will have a day job. Who do you work with? Do they have children or grandchildren? I work in an office with around 500 employees and it's own internal news letter. I wrote an article for the newsletter and I got postcards printed from an online store to display in my work's cafe. This allowed the word to spread further than my team and my friends. I put out 50 postcards in the first week and when they all vanished I put out another 50, and so on. The cafe staff told me that there was a genuine interest and people seemed pleased that someone they were working with was doing something creative.<br />
These postcards were simple, my book cover on the front and my website and contact details on the back.<br />
Word was out amongst my work colleagues and soon I was getting stopped in the hallways and stairways to discuss my book. All good advertising and all for not very much money (about 15 pounds for the postcards). Never underestimate word of mouth. The more people talking about your book the better.<br />
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<u><b>School Visits</b></u><br />
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Then I moved on to number two in my list, and this one has proved to be the most effective and the most fun. My book is aimed at children 8 and over so I approached primary schools, emailing details of my books to the school administrators. I told them about me and my work and asked if they would like a copy of the book and making it clear I was available for visits to talk to the children. I received several replies asking for copies which I dully sent. I then received an email from a school who would love to take the book as their reading book but the budget was the concern. I took a calculated risk and sent them ten copies free of charge. I wanted the children to read my work and if they liked the first book they might become fans of the series. The children at the school loved the book and invited me to visit which I did.<br />
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I've never done anything like this before so visiting a school where the children will tell you exactly what they think of your story was daunting. The children were brilliant though. They had completed projects on my book and drawn pictures and asked wonderful questions. I thought I would be there for about an hour and ended up staying all day. I took part in their story writing lesson and spoke to the children individually. It was a great experience.<br />
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The teachers at the school spoke about the visit to their colleagues in other schools and soon I was getting lots of requests to visit more schools all over Scotland. My last visit was a 300 mile round trip on country rounds which took about 6 hours of driving. The visit was excellent though and well worth the drive. It is so rewarding to hear children talk about your book and what they loved and which characters they liked.<br />
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I always leave a copy of each of my books for the school library and run some competition with the children. At my last visit I asked the children to draw something from my book and I gave away signed cover art.<br />
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You can see pictures of my latest visit at my facebook page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice</a><br />
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If you're a teacher reading this please feel free to get in touch <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a> to talk about a visit.<br />
To give an example of the impact of school visits the position of my book before my visit last Tuesday was that The Viking's Apprentice was sitting at number 6 in norse and the sequel, The Master's Revenge was at number 8. Two days after the visit The Viking's Apprentice was number 2 and The Master's Revenge was number 3. My books have not left the top ten in their genre in Amazon UK for over 6 months.<br />
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<b><u>Libraries</u></b><br />
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I would advice all authors to approach libraries in their local areas and offer them a copy of your first book. This builds a relationship with the libraries and you will find that they are often more than willing to help local authors. They will take your advertising materials and might even set up events for you. When your subsequent works come out email the libraries to let them know. Building up a local following is important in all genres.<br />
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<b><u>Book Fairs</u></b><br />
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Book fairs are a gold mine for authors of children's fiction. Everyone that walks by your stall is a potential customer. At my first book fair in June last year I had no idea what to expect. I took what I thought was a reasonable amount of books to see out the day and hoped for the best. I soon discovered that everyone who walked through the door was interested in my books. Why? Everyone knows a child who loves reading. Be it their own child, grandchild or family friend. I talked to everyone that came through the door and met some great people. My books sold out in 90 minutes. The lesson for the next book fair was take more books!<br />
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<u><b>Radio Interviews</b></u><br />
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Do those words fill you with dread? A radio interview, a live interview with potentially 1000's of people listening. They shouldn't, they should fill you with optimism. I have done lots of radio interviews now and have mostly used this as a way of reaching out to people in America who I can't physically visit. My first interview was an hour long Q and A and although this might sound daunting the time flies by and when you love the subject you're talking about your passion will come through to the listeners. If radio stations aren't approaching you then approach them. Use Goodreads and twitter to find blog radio shows and offer yourself for interview. It's a great experience and well worth the effort. Be proud and confident of your work.<br />
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Well that's a lot to get you thinking and hopefully point you in the right direction. Since I started this proactive approach I have had my books go to number in their genre on Amazon in the USA, Canada and UK. Over 800 people have added my books on Goodreads and I have built a twitter following of 1500. Also 5000 people read my blog which is pretty amazing.<br />
<br />
I'm giving away two signed copies of each of my books at Goodreads. If you would like the chance to win one then please follow this link. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/81570-the-viking-s-apprentice" target="_blank">Book giveaway</a><br />
<br />
If you would like to contact me then please do so at kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog. If you would like to follow the blog please sign up by email.<br />
<br />
If you would like to connect on twitter then please do so @ <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a><br />
<br />
If you're interested in buying either book in paperback or ebook format please visit my website where you will find a full list of where to buy. <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/#!where-to-buy/ctyx" target="_blank">Where to buy the books.</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-39474287464780624212014-02-10T13:54:00.000-08:002014-02-10T13:54:34.571-08:00Twitter, my tips.Twitter is a great tool for social media, for building contacts and relationships. It's a great way to reach your audience, and a great way to make contacts with people in your chosen industry who can help you.<br />
<br />
11 months ago my first book, <a href="http://t.co/Rrqvo2KpiR" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> , was published and it suddenly occurred to me that I might need to use Twitter to help get the word out. I had a grand total of three followers at the time. One was my wife and I'm pretty sure they other two were fakes. Now my Twitter account <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a> has over 1327 followers and is increasing all the time.. oh I'm now at 1339, see it's going in the right direction.<br />
<br />
I have taken some time to learn how to use Twitter, and taken advice from some very knowledgeable people. I've used different tools and programs to help me and recently I think I've finally got my head around what helps and what doesn't.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Quick do's and donts.</u></b><br />
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Do make your twitter interesting. Tell people about you, not just your books or products. Share links to information you have found useful. Talk to people, engage with people. Don't just blast out tweets trying to sell; that will switch people off.<br />
Don't buy followers, ever. What use would that be? There are loads of links on twitter telling you that you can get 1000's of followers for a few pounds or dollars. Think about it though. Why flood your account with fake followers? Will they be interested in what you have to say? Will they buy what you have to offer? No they won't and ultimately they will ruin your account and dilute your message.<br />
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There are also lots of websites out there that offer tokens or coins to swap for followers. I don't understand why people would use them. Your twitter account, when used correctly will generate it's own followers. Just give it time and work hard at making it work.<br />
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Show yourself, get rid of the egg and upload your own profile pic. People want to see you, we relate to a face better than a graphic.<br />
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<b><u>One Great Tip</u></b><br />
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I can't remember who told me this, but it works. It's called the six minute rule. When you are trying to build a follower base a good tip is to use the six minute rule. Go on twitter and start the clock. Search for other people that work in your field. Look at their followers and follow the ones you think are interesting and, importantly, that actually tweet. Do this for six minutes then stop. You're done for today. Do this consistently and your list of follows will grow. Human nature will kick in and lots of those that you follow will follow you back. This will build a high quality list of followers that you can engage with. Try it, it works!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Social Media Tools</u></b><br />
<br />
There are loads of social media tools out there, some good and some awful. I'm going to concentrate on the ones I have used for twitter. Which makes sense as this is a blog about twitter.<br />
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I used Tweetdeck for a while, but to be honest I didn't like it. I didn't save the time or do what I wanted it to do. Yes you could load tweets but it was time consuming and clumsy. I looked around for other tools and I now use only two. I use Hootsuite and Commun.it. Why did I settle for these two? It's simple really. They both work, they both save time and they are both excellent social media tools. I sound like a sales pitch so I have deliberately not linked to either site so you know I'm not just trying to sell you click throughs to social media software. I want to help you, and hopefully I'm going to.<br />
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<u><b>HOOTSUITE</b></u><br />
<u><b><br /></b></u>
Hootsuite is a tool which links to your twitter account. There is a basic free version which is good for saving tweets that you can then tell Hootsuite to 'auto schedule'. This means it will send the tweets out at certain intervals to ensure a wide coverage. I used this version for a while, but now I'm using the pro version. Again I'm not going to link to it as I don't want you to think I'm selling.<br />
What are the advantages of the pro version? You can create spreadsheets of tweets to send out throughout the day or week that you can then save and edit as you need to. These spreadsheets can be bulk loaded into Hootsuite and the tweets will go out at your specified times. It takes a bit of time and tinkering but it's worth the effort as the results are excellent. I've been able to organise my time more efficiently and set my tweets to work in the best way to engage with my followers.<br />
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I should point out that Hootsuite can link to all your social media accounts. Mine is linked to my facebook, linkedin, Google+ and, of course, my Twitter.<br />
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My advice would be to get the free version then work from there. If the free version does all you need then don't upgrade. If you want to save time and have an excellent social media tool in your corner then upgrade to pro.<br />
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<b><u>COMMUN.IT</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Again I'm deliberately not providing a link as I don't want you thinking I'm getting paid for this post. I came across this tool through my website <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a>. This website is through wix.com and they offer a range of tools to help enhance your site. I began by using the free version and found it ok. What commun.it does is it organises things like who follows you, who unfollows you. It makes suggestions at who you should follow and unfollow. It's excellent for getting rid of people that never tweet or accounts that have gone dormant. If your follower list is full of people not using twitter then that's a pretty useless list. If you use the free version you need to work with it and twitter at the same time to unfollow and follow new people, and to do the other functions commun.it uses.<br />
As I became more aware of the importance of twitter and other social media resources I decided to get the professional version of this software. I have to tell you all that I absolutely love it. It's by far the best tool I have used in my social media world. It even tops Hootsuite, which takes some doing.<br />
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What makes it so good? The pro version is just so simple to use, excellently laid out and gives you everything you need. So what does it tell you?<br />
Your new follows and unfollows (those terrible people that ditch you without so much as goodbye). You can then engage with your new followers directly though commun.it and it will post to twitter for you.<br />
It shows you who is retweeting your tweets and which people in your follower lists are the most active. You can then engage with these people which builds your twitter reputation.<br />
If you have missed anyone that mentioned you it highlights it. Again you can then engage with these people.<br />
The reports are brilliant, it shows you your activity for the week, month or day which ever you want to look at it. For example this week I have 117 new followers, 125 retweets and have reached 851,000 people. When you can see your figures it makes you work harder and smarter.<br />
Another great report shows you which phrases that are relevant to you have been used in tweets. For example my twitter name @bannon1975 has turned up in 201 statuses and has been seen by a potential 1.4 million people.<br />
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My advice is to get it and go straight for pro, it's cheap and excellent.<br />
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I hope these tips help you work better with Twitter. It's a great tool and I believe it can help anyone who uses it correctly.<br />
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If you would like to connect with me you can in the following ways.<br />
Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a><br />
Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheVikingsApprentice" target="_blank">TheVikingsApprentice</a><br />
Email <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a><br />
Linkedin <a href="http://ow.ly/ptDDm" target="_blank">Kevin McLeod</a><br />
<br />
If you would like to buy my books they are available from many online outlets. Follow this link <a href="http://ow.ly/tpEw4" target="_blank">Buy my books</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-2989550076784576282014-01-13T13:55:00.005-08:002014-01-13T13:55:56.490-08:00A new year and a break from the norm. Pericarditis - my story.Happy new year to everyone. I hope you all enjoyed a nice Christmas and were able to get some time off your work to spend with friends and family.<br />
<br />
Usually my blogs are about writing, my books and my experiences as an author. This blog is going to be a bit different. I'm going to talk about a disease called Pericarditis.<br />
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In 2001 (when I was 26) I was in my office going about my normal day when I started to get pains in my chest. The pain became more acute and would not go away. I struggled to the first aid room and lay down, which made the pain worse. I was terrified that I was having a heart attack and an ambulance was dully called.<br />
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I don't remember much about the ambulance trip but I do remember getting to the hospital just as the A&E was being evacuated due to an MRSA outbreak. It was a scene of chaos and turmoil. Eventually I was in my hospital bed with my mum and brother standing next to me. The doctor came in and told me that I had pericarditis; an inflammation of the pericardium which is the sack of fluid around your heart.<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;">All I heard were the words inflammation and heart. Not understanding what the disease was or how it could be cured I was terrified. I remember my mum's face and my brother looking shocked. I was 26, 26 year olds shouldn't have heart problems. I decided to ignore the fact that at the time I was a smoker of 20 cigarettes per day. As it turned out smoking had nothing to do with my getting pericarditis. However I never smoked another cigarette again. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.1875px;">I spent some time in hospital and had a prelonged period off work to recover. A side effect of pericarditis was a condition called fibromyalgia which causes pain all over the body. I will talk about this in another blog soon. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.1875px;">The important thing is that with the correct medicines and care I made a full recovery and was even able to go back to playing football. I had 6 monthly tests done every year for several years after which showed a return to normal. The experience meant I gave up smoking and ended up a lot healthier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;">Pericarditis is quite common in men and is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. It is fairly easily treated now and in most cases is not life threatening. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;">So you are probably asking yourself why am I telling you about a disease I had 13 years ago that some of you may not have heard of. Well just before Christmas I had a return of chest pains and some of the symptoms were very similar to 2001. Finally after several weeks I went to the doctor and this week I was in hospital at the cardiology unit getting all the tests run that I had back 2001. After a day of ECG's, ultrasounds, treadmill tests and chats with my cardiologist I am glad to say the pain is not being caused by any heart problems or a return of pericarditis. The cause of the pain is still unknown but ruling out the major cause of chest pain was a relief. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;">This return to hospital reminded me that I always said I would write about my experience and offer this simple message to anyone who is unlucky enough to suffer pericarditis. It can be cured and you can return to a normal life fairly soon afterwards. Maybe, you will gain something like giving up smoking as I did. I've included a link to the NHS site here in the UK that gives more details on pericarditis. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.1875px;"><a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Pericarditis/Pages/Introduction.aspx" target="_blank">NHS Information</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope some of you find this blog post useful and maybe it will reassure some of you if you are going through pericarditis just now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kevin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a><br />
<br />
twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a><br />
<br />
email <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">Kevin's email</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-53489888811710207222013-11-25T14:58:00.000-08:002013-11-25T14:58:05.129-08:00Book Week Scotland and the authorsdb 2013 book cover contestHow is everyone?<br />
<br />
I hope you are all well, and I hope if you are in Scotland you are able to join in Book week Scotland in some way. Even if it's just picking up a book for the first time in ages, and sitting down to get lost in the imagination of your favourite author.<br />
<br />
My Book week has started very well. This morning <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Masters-Revenge-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00FH85WW6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385418984&sr=8-2&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge</a> reached number 1 in the best seller list for norse on Amazon.co.uk. Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy. I really appreciate it. I still can't believe how successful both books have been. This time last year I was still waiting on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vikings-Apprentice-Kevin-McLeod-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385419146&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> being published and now I am lucky enough to have had a number one best seller in Canada and the UK and number 2 in the US. It's amazing what you can achieve when you put your mind too it.<br />
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Back to book week. I feel I should point out this is my first Book Week Scotland as an author. This week I have a series of talks in local schools to talk about writing, reading and my own experiences as an author. Public speaking is something I'm getting used to, and hopefully better at, however I'm much more comfortable behind my laptop than in front of an audience.<br />
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The children I will be talking to are all in the age group that my books are aimed at. I am genuinely interested in seeing how many of them are regular readers and what they look for in their books. I will post again on Thursday night once I have completed my series of talks and I will let you all know how it went and what I gained from the experience.<br />
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If you would like to know more about Book Week Scotland please visit their website <a href="http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/book-week-scotland/about" target="_blank">Scottish Book Trust</a>.<br />
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<b><u>AuthorsDB Book Cover Contest</u></b><br />
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You may be aware of a great website called <a href="http://www.authorsdb.com/" target="_blank">www.authorsdb.com</a> this is a website that shows 1000's of great book covers from every genre from new and old authors alike. Every year they hold a book cover contest and I'm delighted to say that The Master's Revenge has made it through to the semi finals. Voting for the semi finals ends on December 15th. I would love you all to please follow this link and vote for my book cover. Scroll down to where it shows you the star ratings and please cast your vote. You can vote once per day. I appreciate all your support. The link is underneath the book cover.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8vYsrObWUP3EMCT7_aJurH6xrTmAjpAULOhPFalFe2YwlQaCyiKD8Q12SiMdH3IyTejm6JgZBBvLNnsN2lHXFpQvAlBKUu7Mp-SH5ebioaVTPKl431dw5GzIqeJQ1ky4muJ2yV5g7aC9/s1600/1294585_332441870234127_530716156_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8vYsrObWUP3EMCT7_aJurH6xrTmAjpAULOhPFalFe2YwlQaCyiKD8Q12SiMdH3IyTejm6JgZBBvLNnsN2lHXFpQvAlBKUu7Mp-SH5ebioaVTPKl431dw5GzIqeJQ1ky4muJ2yV5g7aC9/s1600/1294585_332441870234127_530716156_o.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.authorsdb.com/books/2013-book-cover-semi-finalists/children-s-books/the-viking-s-apprentice-ii" target="_blank">click here to vote</a><br /><br /></td></tr>
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Thank you to everyone who votes. If you would like to contact me you can do so by any of the following means.<br />
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Facebook - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice</a><br />
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twitter - <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a><br />
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email - <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a><br />
<br />
website - <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a><br />
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<b><u><br /></u></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-41456942627314830392013-11-19T04:12:00.004-08:002013-11-19T04:12:58.183-08:00Guest post from a reviewerHow is everyone today?<br />
<br />
It's freezing in Scotland, and yesterday we had the first snowfall of the winter, and technically it's not even winter yet. My car is in the garage getting a winter service, while draining my bank account as the repairs get done.<br />
<br />
I don't want to talk about my books today. In fact I don't want to say much at all. I am going to hand over to a reviewer to tell us a little bit about themselves. Quite often authors are invited to talk on reviewer and blogger sites and I thought it would be nice to reciprocate.<br />
<br />
My very first guest on my blog is Rebecca Bennett of Rebbie reviews. Rebecca was the first reviewer to review The Viking's Apprentice so it seems only fair that she is the first reviewer to guest on my blog. Her reviews are excellently written, well structured and tell you enough about each book without giving too much away. That, in itself, is a skill.<br />
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Ok, over to Rebecca:<br />
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Reading has always been my passion, ever since I was little.
I'd join book clubs at school and spend my free time exploring libraries or
doing research online. I've always had far more books than bookshelves and that
has never put me off buying new ones. Reading has actually got me through some
really dark times and helped me to escape reality for a few hours, as I'd lapse
into character after character. As you can imagine, having a kindle now it's
more tempting than ever to buy every book I find since it all fits into one
device!</div>
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I was reading that many books and verbally reviewing them to
my boyfriend that he suggested reviewing the books on Amazon and similar
websites. After a while I decided I needed a hobby so I created Rebbie Reviews,
a simple blog on wordpress where I would publish my reviews and eventually when
I got bored I could just shut it down. I never imagined anyone would actually read
it! When I realised I was getting regular views I decided to make a Twitter
page and the first person I met was an Indie Author named Kevin. I hadn't even
realised that there was this whole online community of new and relatively
unknown authors out there when I first decided to start my reviews, and it
quickly changed from a hobby I could quit at any time to a way to promote these
wonderful people and help move indie authors into the spotlight.</div>
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Of course I still review any book I read but I have found friends
in the indie community and love reading their work and chatting to them about
their works in progress. Another thing I like about reviewing is the ability to
recommend books and encourage younger people to read more. All from my laptop!
There are more and more kids out there who don't read and those kids are
quickly becoming adults. If I can inspire just one person out there to read a
book then I've done my job.</div>
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I want to thank Rebecca for taking the time to write her post. If you're an author looking for a review or a book lover looking for your next book then I encourage you all to visit <a href="http://www.rebbiereviews.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Rebbie Reviews</a> and have a look around. You can connect to her on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Rebbie_Reviews" target="_blank">@rebbie_reviews</a></div>
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Would you like to guest post? If so drop me an email or leave a comment on this post and I will get back to you. Everyone is welcome (within reason). My contact details are at the end of this post. </div>
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I am considering doing proof reading for other aspiring authors out there. I have had several requests and if you would like to make a request please get in touch. </div>
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Ok, so just in case you don't know anything about my books here is a very short summary. </div>
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The Viking's Apprentice has been an amazon best seller in America, Canada and the UK and can be viewed here - <a href="http://t.co/Rrqvo2KpiR" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> Highest chart positions: 2 in America, 1 in Canada and 5 in UK.</div>
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The Master's Revenge, which is book 2 in the series, has reached the Amazon best seller list in America and Canada (still working on the UK!) Highest chart positions 4 in America, 3 in Canada and 31 in the UK. It can be viewed here - <a href="http://t.co/uGtT3sjwBG" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge</a></div>
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Both books are available in paperback and kindle. </div>
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My contact details are: <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a> or <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a>. </div>
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My twitter account is - <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a></div>
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facebook - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a></div>
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Have a great week everyone.</div>
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Kevin</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBSf412QVmEMn-S-zui2Uee_dSzyG8zF3zxtEK2_1Wd4uYOXbDlP6ahqBzhXIdNSOtleL5MfQ9gIwf7UxDUW8Tfdvbd1vX6Ly3yQlqnwgETRS6hT7Gl1200lJHAx54riaqGkuso4uhHAU/s1600/Kev-2+KINDLE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBSf412QVmEMn-S-zui2Uee_dSzyG8zF3zxtEK2_1Wd4uYOXbDlP6ahqBzhXIdNSOtleL5MfQ9gIwf7UxDUW8Tfdvbd1vX6Ly3yQlqnwgETRS6hT7Gl1200lJHAx54riaqGkuso4uhHAU/s1600/Kev-2+KINDLE.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t.co/Rrqvo2KpiR" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sHdnh-G98cXVrHs8G0vZDXzEcMJBmAClk3cEulUNJfrGzWeUqfG2LS8KU0RntUQKGri-dlb1Ifaw1PXw_rh6jvKvYlnlJSTij8Ejveqka6U7O-lWDo98JxK569-gdiV7S9sAO7mxFUBB/s1600/1294585_332441870234127_530716156_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sHdnh-G98cXVrHs8G0vZDXzEcMJBmAClk3cEulUNJfrGzWeUqfG2LS8KU0RntUQKGri-dlb1Ifaw1PXw_rh6jvKvYlnlJSTij8Ejveqka6U7O-lWDo98JxK569-gdiV7S9sAO7mxFUBB/s1600/1294585_332441870234127_530716156_o.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t.co/uGtT3sjwBG" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge</a></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-71400121076043511132013-10-08T08:41:00.000-07:002013-10-08T08:41:57.789-07:00Grammar.... The word writers fear.How is everyone today?<br />
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You're a writer, and you've just finished writing your book. It feels good doesn't it? You've probably read the book a thousand times cover to cover. You're convinced it's great, there's nothing to add, and nothing left to change. Wait though; how good is your grammar?<br />
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The first time I was asked that question I was taken aback. Hang on! Is someone questioning me? I'm an author, and I've written a great book. How dare they, but maybe I will look it over one more time just to be sure. Now that I read it again I'm not so sure those commas are all in the correct places. When do I use a semi colon instead of a comma? What's a hyphen? Oh my god do I even know how to use a full stop!! Ok the last one is a little dramatic, but you get the idea.<br />
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I wrote The Viking's Apprentice, and I was completely happy with it until I gave it to an editor to have a look at. I expected it back with a few corrections and suggestions. What I got back was the same story covered in red marks and suggestions for improving my grammar. Again. How very dare they!! Then I read it with their changes and without their changes. You'll never guess what; they were right. I was so caught up in the story I hadn't paid enough attention to the grammar.<br />
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I decided to take myself to grammar school. There are a lot of aides and websites out there that promise to check your work in an automated fashion. Do you trust those? I don't, and my reasons are simple. Isn't that what Word is supposed to do? Also an automated programme is only as good as the programmer who makes it. What if they don't know their stuff then how does the software they push out? 'Garbage in = Garbage out!' as my computer teacher used to say.<br />
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I went old school. I took the time to learn how to do it for myself.<br />
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I have visited 100's of sites and a lot of them just want to sell you something that will apparently make your life easier. What will actually make your life easier (as I have found out) is sitting down and reading. Learn how to use grammar correctly. Practice it daily, and become more confident in yourself. You won't get every line of your book right, but you will know that it is a lot closer than my first attempt.<br />
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Here are some of the links that helped me most.<br />
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<a href="http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/department/docs/punctuation/node14.html" target="_blank">Summary of commas</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/department/docs/punctuation/node17.html" target="_blank">Semi colons</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/department/docs/punctuation/node18.html" target="_blank">Comparing colons and semi colons</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/department/docs/punctuation/node19.html" target="_blank">The Apostrophe</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/department/docs/punctuation/node24.html#SECTION00071000000000000000" target="_blank">The Hyphen</a><br />
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All of these links will hopefully help you write a story which is structured correctly, which will add to the overall appeal to the reader. Also when you click on these links if you scroll around you will find links to more grammar help.<br />
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Oh, now here's something I'm going to admit. Should I.... OK I will. My second book The Master's Revenge which is book 2 in the Viking series was on it's final read through when I was asked this question. Is that the correct use of 'past'? What do you mean? I answered; suddenly doubting myself. Well, do you walk past something or do you walk passed something? There it was, I was stuck, suddenly completely useless in the world of English, a language I have spoken since I was about 2! 36 years later I am wondering if I have ever used the words past and passed correctly. I put on my learning head and went to the web for answers. I found a great site that helped me answer this question and some others.<br />
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<a href="http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/past_passed.htm" target="_blank">Grammar monster past v passed</a><br />
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Just so we are clear, I am in no way affiliated with any websites, and I receive no money for offering up links. I just want to help you find the best sites out there quickly and easily to aid your writing.<br />
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Please don't waste your hard earned money buying up grammar checkers. Get the knowledge from the links I have suggested or others like them. Take the time to make your story even better.<br />
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I hope this has helped some of you. If you would like to contact me to talk about this post or anything else then here is how to do it.<br />
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<a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">twitter @bannon1975</a> or <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a> or even <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">my facebook fan page</a><br />
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Currently I am happy to say that both of my books are in the top 25 in their genre on Amazon.com. The Viking's Apprentice is a previous number 1 best seller in Canada and number 2 in America. If you would like to purchase either book or find out more about them please click on these links.<br />
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<a href="http://viewbook.at/TVA" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a><br />
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<a href="http://mybook.to/Mastersrevenge" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice II: The Master's Revenge</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-90414810065992409172013-10-04T13:26:00.001-07:002013-10-04T13:26:13.007-07:00Some writing tips when writing for childrenI made a promise to blog more, and I also made a promise to give more back. Rather than tell you about me and my books I hope to give you some helpful tips a long the way.<br />
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I would like to start with a subject that is close to me as it is the genre I am currently writing in. My books are aimed at anyone 8 years and older, but in particular they are aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 14. When writing for this age group we have to take into consideration something that is maybe not that obvious at first glance. Children have amazing imaginations and they want to use them. Children do not want to be told exactly what every character in a book looks like. The trick is to give them enough details so that the description is sound, while leaving room for those amazing imaginations to flourish and take the reader where they want to go.<br />
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My good characters are described by height, eye colour, hair colour and by some of their traits. IE Peter is the sports champion whilst George is the cheeky, always getting a laugh, friend. This gives children the building blocks to build their imaginations into the characters I have created for them.<br />
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I'll give you another example of this, and then a story to back it up. In my first book, The Viking's Apprentice, the cover depicts two Vikings with horned helmets. History buffs may point out that very few Vikings actually wore these helmets (a point I discuss in my author notes at the end of the book) but if you ask a child to draw a Viking the horns are always there. Throughout the book there are various Viking characters and not once do I describe what they are wearing. If I was writing a book for adults I would have gone into much more detail, but for children it's not required and I don't advise doing it.<br />
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So how do I know that my Viking characters got children's imaginations going? I visited a school who had taken the book as their reading book for primary 5 - 7 (ages 8 to 11), and the children had put together three projects for me on the book. Some of the projects were of their drawings of the characters in the book. There were several drawings of my Vikings and all were different, but all had the horns. Each child gets the chance to fill in the characters how they want to see them. I urge you to read my books and judge for yourself. Do you see what I mean? The technique involves giving them enough starting points to set their imaginations free. It works!<br />
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The evil characters in my books were tougher to describe. I had to take myself back to being a child and remember what scared me. The dark scared me, what's lurking there? What is hiding in those shadows under my bed or in the closet. Do you remember that feeling? I tried to capture that feeling in creating some of the evil characters, in particular the Shadow walkers and their leader who I will let you meet for yourself if you read the book.<br />
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While I'm on the subject of children's books, and before I forget here is a tip for the cover of your book. Always have the hero facing away from the reader. Why?? The same reason as above. Children do not want to be told exactly what their hero looks like. How many times have you read a book and then the film comes out. They change the cover to the actor's face. What do we all say? 'That's not how I imagined him!'. Exactly the same for children. So if you have one of your main characters (good guys) on the cover have them facing away from the reader. See my cover for The Master's Revenge below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUTp14dXa3uYLHR-jr9tYTSAkyckDbH6_m60ez4o3DxN-w397Gh6pOeEEeeaJz_lWiq1I-9_AgYB60FDoaTZWPlasjAFxvGI1AR9h4YAA_Ai1dvXtzrcH-1I3nAvNZZp-CRs4z0rx0kQZ/s1600/VA+Kindle+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUTp14dXa3uYLHR-jr9tYTSAkyckDbH6_m60ez4o3DxN-w397Gh6pOeEEeeaJz_lWiq1I-9_AgYB60FDoaTZWPlasjAFxvGI1AR9h4YAA_Ai1dvXtzrcH-1I3nAvNZZp-CRs4z0rx0kQZ/s1600/VA+Kindle+(1).jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></div>
The hero faces away from the reader, what does he look like to you? What face are you imagining? Your child or the child reader is doing exactly the same, and their imagination blows yours out of the water!<br />
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To sum up when writing a book for children of this age group allow them to use their imaginations to place their hero, how they picture them, in the world you have created for them.<br />
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1000's of you took the chance to download The Viking's Apprentice for free last weekend, and I thank each and every one of you. I hope you enjoy the book, and hopefully enjoy it enough to continue on to book 2 and beyond.<br />
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If you would like to buy my books you can do so at these links. The links will take you to the Amazon page for your country.<br />
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The Viking's Apprentice - <a href="http://viewbook.at/TVA" target="_blank">Buy it here</a><br />
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The Master's Revenge - <a href="http://mybook.to/Mastersrevenge" target="_blank">Buy it here</a><br />
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The Viking's Apprentice reached number 1 in Canada and number 2 in America. It is still in the top 20 in Canada and the top 10 in America.<br />
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I have recently started a pinterest board called 'Judge a book by it's Cover'. I would love you all to come and follow me there, and I will add you all to the board so you can pin your favourite covers with me. You can do that here - <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/bannon1975/boards/" target="_blank">My pinterest</a><br />
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Contact me at <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a> or by email @ <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a>. You can reach me on twitter @bannon1975 or on facebook via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice">www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice</a><br />
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Would you like to listen to my latest radio interview? If so click here - <a href="http://t.co/9Bo7BoMT6B" target="_blank">Interview with Janice Ross</a><br />
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I will write again early next week. Have a great weekend.<br />
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KevinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-12567735555547571372013-09-28T02:36:00.000-07:002013-09-28T02:36:49.628-07:00Free kindle giveaway and book 2 release.How is everyone this morning?<br />
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Today marks another step on the journey for me. Book 2 in the Viking series, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Revenge-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00FH85WW6/ref=la_B00C8QN416_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380359955&sr=1-2" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge</a> is released on Amazon kindle. To celebrate this release and to say thank you to the 1000's of you that have read my blog I have decided to make book 1 free this weekend. You can get your copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380360234&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> for free from today, Saturday 28th of September, until Monday the 30th.<br />
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Here is a shot of the cover art for The Master's Revenge.<br />
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I apologize for the lack of blogging over the past two months, but I have been busy writing The Master's Revenge and I hope you all love it as much as you appear to have loved The Viking's Apprentice. My blogs will start up again next week and I promise to blog more and I will talk about how I create my characters, and I will also share with you some useful sites etc for grammar.<br />
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If you would like a free copy of The Viking's Apprentice kindle version please follow these links.<br />
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US readers - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380360234&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a><br />
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UK readers - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1380360606&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a><br />
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Everyone else - <a href="http://viewbook.at/TVA" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> (this is a universal amazon link which will take you to the correct amazon page for your country )<br />
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If you want to purchase The Masters Revenge you can do so at these links.<br />
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US readers - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Revenge-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00FH85WW6/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_tnr_2" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge</a><br />
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UK readers - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Masters-Revenge-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00FH85WW6/ref=sr_1_8?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1380360810&sr=1-8&keywords=the+masters+revenge" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge</a><br />
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Everyone else - <a href="http://mybook.to/Mastersrevenge" target="_blank">The Master's Revenge</a> (universal link for all amazon sites)<br />
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Have a great weekend everyone.<br />
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KevinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-77214272519291966852013-07-20T15:25:00.000-07:002013-07-20T15:25:03.590-07:00Radio interview, why I chose Vikings and writing tipsToday I had my first radio interview with host Janice Ross. If you would like to listen you can here. <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/culturalcocktails/2013/07/20/saturday-cocktails-w-kevin-mcleod" target="_blank">Radio Interview</a>. As this was my first interview and it was being conducted with an American host I required to use Skype to do the interview.<br />
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HOT TIPS for people using Skype to do their radio interviews:<br />
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1. Make sure you are signed in and online! Yes I know how can someone not sign in and be online.. well I managed it. Fortunately I noticed with 3 minutes to go and finally clicked myself to 'online'.<br />
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2. Close the window with the radio station on it if you don't you will hear yourself about one sentence behind. Again a rookie error in my book, but I realised quite quickly and turned it off.<br />
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3. Have notes, just wee reminders about things you want to talk about. I had my notes and we covered everything in them through the natural flow of the conversation. Still it was useful to have them just in case.<br />
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I really enjoyed the experience and would love to do more. I am booked on to Janice's show again on September the 28th. If anyone else would like to interview me please drop me a line. My contact details are at the end of this blog.<br />
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<b><u>Vikings</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Something I am asked a lot is why I chose Vikings for my story. There are a couple of reasons. Growing up in Scotland every class at some point in primary school does a Viking project. This begins the interest in Vikings which never leaves us. These amazing people that traveled the seas, invaded and pillaged. Their fantastic ships cutting through the waves arriving on foreign shores.<br />
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The other reason is that there is a link between my clan, the clan McLeod, and Vikings. Olaf the 2nd of Iceland or Olaf the Black as he was known was a Viking king who had seven sons. One of these sons was Leod. Leod was a Viking who came to Scotland and never left the country. He married a Scottish woman and they had a son. That son became McLeod as Mc and Mac in Scotland mean 'son of''. The clan McLeod was born and Leod became the first chief. Leod lived from 1200 to 1280AD.<br />
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I hope that answers the question as to why I chose Vikings.<br />
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The role of the Vikings in my story is not that of the traditional pillaging invaders. They take on an almost heroic role. There are always two sides to every story after all, they can't always be the bad guys!<br />
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If anyone has any questions for me about the themes in my book I am always available to answer them. Feel free to contact me.<br />
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<b><u>Writing tips</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
When I am talking to people about writing a comment I hear over and over goes along the lines of: 'I thought about writing a book, even started, then gave up on it.'<br />
The first tip is you need to stick at it. If you are one of those people who has a story to tell then keep going until the story is told.<br />
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Set a deadline, in fact set several throughout the project. When will you have a chapter finished? When will you have the book finished? Setting deadlines gives you a goal to achieve, something to work too. Make the deadline realistic. If you have a day job, a family and other commitments you are not going to be able to devote hours a day to your writing. I set myself a deadline of two years for The Viking's Apprentice and completed the first draft with two weeks to spare.<br />
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Be prepared for your book to need work. No matter how good a writer you are an editor will find mistakes. Don't take the corrections to heart, each correction makes the story better for the reader.<br />
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I used a couple of editors for my book and a proof reader. I think this is a really important part of the process and one every writer cannot afford to skip. It is almost impossible to edit and proofread your own work. You are too close to it. You created the story so will miss small mistakes that an editor and proof reader will find.<br />
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Choose a title that makes sense to the story. Seems straight forward and obvious right? The Viking's Apprentice was originally called Campbell's Cove. I kept that title right through the first draft. It was feedback from the proof reader and my wife that convinced me to change the name. What did the title tell the reader about my book? The sum total of zero. So why was I convinced it was correct? I created the town of Campbell's Cove for my book so it meant a lot to me. I could connect too it, but readers wouldn't.<br />
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I read through my book three times before choosing the new title, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1374357169&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a>. I love the title and readers seem to love it as well.<br />
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If you choose the path of trying to get an agent and/or publisher do not be disheartened by the word 'no'. Not everyone will share your vision of what a great book is. Harry Potter was passed on several times before someone took the chance on it. Every writer has rejection letters, go and ask any of them and I bet they all tell you they got rejections along the way. I remember a writer telling me they had enough rejection letters that they could redecorate their bathroom with them. They were a published author as they didn't give up and eventually got that yes.<br />
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In my next blog I will talk about character creation and development. A subject that is discussed in my radio interview.<br />
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If you are enjoying my blogs and would like to read The Viking's Apprentice please find the links below.<br />
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American and worldwide readers please click here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1374357169&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Viking Ebook </a><br />
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UK readers please click here: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1374358218&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Viking Ebook</a><br />
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If you would like to contact me please do so through one of the following channels. I always respond personally to all emails, tweets etc.<br />
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a><br />
email: <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a><br />
web: <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheVikingsApprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice FB page</a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7031977.Kevin_McLeod" target="_blank">My author page</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-16088356329181572722013-07-17T15:30:00.000-07:002013-07-17T15:30:16.030-07:00The journey continuesI have now been a published author for a mere 4 months and this Saturday will see another first. I will do my first radio interview with an american based interviewer. I will be on Saturday Cocktails with Janice Ross. If you would like to listen in or indeed join in you can at this link. <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/culturalcocktails/2013/07/20/saturday-cocktails-w-kevin-mcleod" target="_blank">radio interview</a><br />
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The interview will last for an hour and is a chat about what inspires and motivates me as well as discussing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1374097714&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a>.<br />
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When I agreed to do the interview it seemed a long way off, but now it has arrived and I will admit to being a little nervous. Janice was kind enough to do a skype test with me to ensure she could hear me and more importantly understand me! As a Scot it has been suggested that I may speak too fast and can at times be difficult to understand if you are not from here. Unfortunately radio cannot offer subtitles so I will have to be on my best behavior and speak slowly.<br />
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If you do have any questions please feel free to call in. The number is at the link above. The interview is at 1pm UK time.<br />
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<b><u>Other news</u></b><br />
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What else has been happening? I have been busy writing book 2 in the Viking series. The first draft is almost complete which is the beginning of a nervous time for me. The book will go to my editors who will tear it apart and send it back with lots of red highlights. I will then go into a huff for a few hours before accepting that their changes make my story read a lot better. I have come to realise that although I can write a very good story that will entertain there are other people much more skilled at checking the grammar than me. The work of the editors has contributed to the first book getting 23 out of 23 5 star reviews across amazon and goodreads.com. I thank them all and appreciate their hard work and patience.<br />
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<b><u>Book sale</u></b><br />
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To celebrate The Viking's Apprentice doing so well since it's release and reaching number 1 in Canada and number 2 in America I have decided to reduce the price until the 24th of July. The book is available for $0.99 in America and Canada as well as 99p in the UK. If you would like to buy it please follow the links below.<br />
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US readers and other Amazon.com readers get The Viking's Apprentice for $0.99 here <a href="http://amzn.to/11i6Fnn" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a><br />
Canadian readers get The Viking's Apprentice for $0.99 here <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374099258&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a><br />
UK readers get The Viking's Apprentice for £0.99 here <a href="http://bit.ly/VikingsApp" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a><br />
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For those of you that have not seen it here is the updated cover for the kindle version. We changed the font so it was easier to read.<br />
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<b><u>Contact info</u></b><br />
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If you would like to contact me you can do so through the following channels<br />
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email me @ <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a><br />
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Tweet me @ <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a><br />
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Facebook @ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheVikingsApprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice Facebook</a><br />
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Goodreads @ <a href="http://bit.ly/GRViking" target="_blank">Kevin McLeod Goodreads</a><br />
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I will write another blog after my radio interview and will share any tips I pick up during the experience. Thank you to everyone who has been reading my blog. I appreciate your support.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-9598327707025050012013-06-25T03:47:00.001-07:002013-06-25T06:42:05.555-07:00A Great birthday weekend. <i style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">I used Grammarly to <a href="http://www.grammarly.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">grammar check</a> this post, because I have the imagination to write captivating stories, and the common sense to let professionals check them for me.</span></i><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A big weekend</span></u></b></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a weekend it has been. Firstly on Saturday we had our first meet the readers event at the Kirkmichael book festival. This was my chance to meet face to face with people who are interested in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1372153551&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a>. I had lots of interesting chats with a varied range of people. From eight to eighty they sat down and chatted with me about my book, the genre and their own interests. I wasn't sure how many paperback books to take with me, but I clearly judged it correctly as I sold out with about ten minutes to go! </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was invited to the event by a local author who was launching his book on the day. Bruce Crichton's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Rage-Within-ebook/dp/B00DDNLHBM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372153819&sr=1-1&keywords=the+rage+within" target="_blank">The Rage Within</a> is available on Amazon now. I have just started to read it and can honestly say it is excellent. Very well written and an original story. You can follow Bruce on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/BRCrichton" target="_blank">@BRCrichton</a>. Bruce and his family also laid on a lunch before hand which was greatly appreciated after a two and a half hour drive. They even fed us afterwards!</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also at the festival was Mark Price, another great Scottish author. He was there promoting his book <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metallic-Dreams-ebook/dp/B0058UE6HK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372154106&sr=1-1&keywords=metallic+dreams" target="_blank">Metallic Dreams</a>. I have purchased the book and it is next on my list after Bruce's. The other reason I mention Mark comes under the category of 'it's a small world'. Keep in mind I drove over one hundred miles to the festival through torrential rain, over Scotland's unique country roads. Mark was standing two stalls away from me, and it turns out we live in the same town, Hamilton, and were at one point neighbours. Mark literally lived ten feet away from me. Strange then that our first meeting was in the small town of Kirkmichael. You can follow Mark on twitter - <a href="https://twitter.com/Metallic_Dreams" target="_blank">@Metallic_Dreams</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a successful day for all three of us, and a first festival for myself and Bruce. </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">School Visit</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Monday I spent most of the day at Furnace primary school with the Primary 5 -7's who have been reading my book during the term. I was both nervous and excited to learn what the children thought now they had finished the book. I had been in touch with them throughout the term through email, facebook and good old fashioned letters, but this was our first meeting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am pleased to report the children loved <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_15?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=the%20vikings%20apprentice&sprefix=the+vikings+app%2Cdigital-text%2C271&rh=i%3Adigital-text%2Ck%3Athe%20vikings%20apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> and had done an amazing amount of work through the term. I was presented with three projects they had put together for me. One was a book of their artwork of characters. Some excellent interpretations especially of Tanis and Graff. I was also given a folder of their opinions of the book, and one that showed their predictions for how the book would go as they progressed through the chapters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We held a question and answer session where I was asked some wonderful questions and we had a great conversation about the book and where the children felt the next books would take the series. Hearing about my book from the age group it is aimed at was such a valuable experience. Children have imaginations that far outstrip adults, and it was great to know my book had got those imaginations going. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have said this before on Facebook @ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheVikingsApprentice" target="_blank">The Vikings Apprentice Facebook page</a>, but one of the proudest and best moments on my journey as an author so far is being told I have inspired a child to read. One of the children in the class had shown no interest in reading until they began reading my book. The child then spent every day at school looking forward to reading time and loved working on the projects concerning The Viking's Apprentice. That is something I will never forget. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ask the children what was their favourite part of the day and I guarantee you they all say the same thing, meeting Jake. Jake is the Jack Russell in The Viking's Apprentice who was based on my own Jack Russell, Megan. She was a big hit with the children even getting to play with them at playtime. Megan slept for ten hours after that!</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Forward look</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the next few weeks I am going to be working hard on book two, and hopefully getting it finished and put forward for editing where many authors would say the real work begins. The book is progressing well and I am very excited to see it out for sale and get the feedback from the readers. Keep following my blog, facebook, website and twitter for updates and release information. </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Contact info and amazon pages</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to purchase the book (thank you in advance) here are the links you require. The EBook version is now exclusive to Amazon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">UK and EU readers can purchase the kindle and paperback versions here: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372154770&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice UK</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canadian readers can purchase the kindle version only here: <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372156276&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice Canada</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">USA and the rest of the world readers can purchase the kindle and paperback versions here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-Kevin-McLeod/dp/1484113683/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372156174&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice USA</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Viking's Apprentice is published by createspace, and is now available from several outlets throughout America. Please check createspace and Amazon pages for more info. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to contact me please do so at one of the following:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My website: <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Email @ <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7031977" target="_blank">Author page</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to everyone who has bought my book. I love hearing your feedback through reviews, emails or chats. I am very grateful for all the support and encouragement from all over the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-64653286069304174232013-06-04T06:42:00.000-07:002013-06-04T06:42:24.385-07:00Let's catch up featuring writing styles. <u><b>Sorry!</b></u><br />
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Firstly let me apologize for the break in blogging. I have been busy writing book 2 in The Viking's Apprentice series and doing other promotional work for book 1. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1370350092&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> has been out for just over two months now, and I am beginning to find my feet in the world of promoting, advertising and meeting 'fans'.<br />
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<b><u>The fame game</u></b><br />
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I still find it hard to believe I have fans, but slowly getting used to it. People bringing their paperbacks up to be signed is something I love. I have found being a published author very nerve wracking, but I am starting to let myself enjoy it. My twitter account now has over 900 followers which is amazing. Before I had written my book I had had my twitter account <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a> for 2 years and had amassed a huge 3 followers. One was my wife and I am pretty sure the other two were fake!<br />
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Authors and fans have started to link up with me at Facebook where <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheVikingsApprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> page now has over 200 likes. It's great hearing from people who have read the book and getting their thoughts and reviews. I have been very lucky so far in that every review that has been written for my book has been 5 stars. These reviews can be read on my website here <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/#!reviews/cbhx" target="_blank">Book reviews</a>.<br />
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<u><b>My writing style</b></u><br />
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I recently had a conversation with another author who had read my book and commented on my writing style. Something I had never really considered before. I tell the story from several different view points at the same time. So chapters can sometimes have view points from 4 or 5 characters. The author had praised me for my use and delivery of this omnipotent point of view as it is a style that can be confusing for both reader and writer. So why did I choose this style and why does it work in my books? The answer is this; my books are set over a short time period. A few days for each book so the action is fast and furious. This time constraint meant I had to write in a way that got the story across quickly without losing any of the flow. Switching to and from different characters points of view enables me to set a scene quickly, give it depth and allow the readers to see the full picture that some characters in the story can't see. Read <a href="http://bit.ly/VikingsApp" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> and decide for yourself. Please come and chat to me about the book after you have read it.<br />
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Tell me about your writing style, why did you choose it? Was it an actual choice or is it just your style? I am interested so let me know!<br />
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<b><u>School report</u></b><br />
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I always remember my 2nd year school report in high school. We had to take home economics (no honestly we all did!) for the first two years. My teacher wrote in my report card that I was 'a very lickable boy'. That took some explaining when I got home. I hope she was trying to say likeable but you are never sure. That story is not the point of this section. The pupils at Furnace primary school have been reading my book this term and just finished it. They have been in contact with me through email, Facebook and good old fashioned letters. It has been a wonderful experience for me to see how they found the book and I am pleased to say they all gave it 5 stars. I am going to visit the school on the 24th of June and spend some time chatting with the children and apparently they have some very good ideas for the later books in the series. I look forward to hearing all of them.<br />
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<u><b>Other news</b></u><br />
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What else has been happening? Thanks for asking, let me tell you. I have been asked to appear at two book festivals one of which is on my birthday, June 22nd, (don't feel pressured to buy me gifts). I will be in Kirkmichael that day then on to the Bookmark festival in October.<br />
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My competition that I ran in an earlier blog was won and the winners were contacted and have received their prizes. The answer was... Tanis has 2 sons. More competitions and giveaways will appear in my blog and website.<br />
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A few bits of fairly big book news now. I have decided to go exclusively with Amazon for the Ebook version of <a href="http://bit.ly/VikingsApp" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a>. 90% of my sales were coming from Amazon and I prefer their author platform. The good news is that Amazon Prime members can borrow the book for free from the Amazon lending library here <a href="http://bit.ly/VikingsApp" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a>.<br />
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The Viking's Apprentice went to number 1 in it's Genre for a week in Canada. I can now proudly state I have been an international best seller. I have not shouted 'YIPEE' so loud since I was six and Santa brought me a bike for Christmas.<br />
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We have listened to our fans and decided to change the writing on the cover of the Ebook. Here is the new cover. Let me know what you think of it.<br />
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On that note I am on the look out for a new cover artist for book 2 so if you are a cover artist, graphic artist or an ebook specialist please get in touch with a sample of your work/ link to your website at <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a><br />
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<b><u>And finally</u></b><br />
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As always I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has bought the book. I love that so many of you are enjoying it and that you take the time to write reviews and get in touch with me to discuss it. My email door is always open!<br />
You can buy the Viking's Apprentice from amazon at this link for the UK <a href="http://bit.ly/VikingsApp" target="_blank">Viking UK</a>. This one for USA, India and Southern hemisphere <a href="http://amzn.to/11i6Fnn" target="_blank">Viking worldwide</a>. My Canadian fans (Thank you so much for taking me to number 1) can purchase the book here <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370352892&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vikings+apprentice" target="_blank">Viking Canada</a><br />
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Please feel free to contact me for anything book related, for advice or to ask about doing a guest blog on here. Contact me on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a> and email <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a> or respond to my blog.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-92104127615908965452013-04-30T03:37:00.000-07:002013-04-30T03:37:37.031-07:00Is it important to have a publisher anymore?Is it important to have a publisher?<br />
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There was a time not so long ago when a writer was nothing without a publisher and an agent. There was no real way of getting your book out there to the public without their support.<br />
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The self publishing industry was small and those that did self publish did it to give copies to friends and family. The costs were restrictive and the avenues for distribution were small. This has all changed.<br />
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When I first wrote the The Viking's Apprentice I had no intention of releasing it in any form. It was a book for my daughters and that was that. When they were old enough they could read it and hopefully enjoy the fact their dad wrote it.<br />
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I then decided to take the chance to try and get an agent and/or a publisher. I sent the required synopsis and those important three chapters and began the waiting the process. Some responses can come in quickly, some take up to a year. Some will never appear. At the time of writing this, coming up for 9 months since those letters went out, I am still awaiting a response from roughly 50% of the publishers/agents I contacted.<br />
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I sent the first letters out in August 2012 and began to get a steady trickle of replies by email and the occasional postal response. Always polite, always encouraging, some positive and some not. Within two weeks I had my first definite offer of a contract. The publisher (no agent involved) wanted a 6 year deal for an ebook version and I would get 50% of the money they received for the book. Being a new author I was delighted, a publisher wants the book, they like it enough to back it. Then my wife asked a very simple question 'What do they do that you can't do yourself?'<br />
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This got me thinking, what exactly would they do that I could not achieve myself. So I called them and I emailed them and we started a discussion about how going with them would be easier for me and take the hassle out of publishing.<br />
They went through one by one each thing they would do for me.<br />
They would set up the book on Amazon, Ibook, nook, Lulu, kobo etc etc. All something you can do yourself with a bit of effort. That effort equates to over 70% royalties coming direct to the author (amazon ebook figure). Let's think about that. If I went with the publisher I would get 50% of the 70% so half what I would get going it alone.<br />
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My next question, how would they advertise my book? Simple answer, they wouldn't, not really. The larger publishing houses would advertise for new authors, but smaller houses wouldn't do much. The advertising plan they showed me I could do myself. Twitter, facebook, blogs, postcards etc. It's not expensive and it's not difficult. It takes time and if you have taken the time to write something you love, you will take the time to tell other people about it.<br />
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My final question to them was simple. What about paperbacks, actual print copies? Not something they do, there is not enough money in it anymore. Think about that for a minute..... Paper books would not make this publisher enough money to make it worthwhile. I checked some of their other authors and true enough they all were in ebooks but not in print. Some were doing very well and there was still no sign of a paperback.<br />
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So I looked in to it. If you want paperback versions it can be done for no up front costs with reputable companies with a good percentage share coming back to the author.<br />
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You are probably guessing that I went for self publishing in the end and indeed I did. The Viking's Apprentice is doing very well in ebook format in both amazon.co.uk and amazon.com. Yesterday the paperback was released with the help of createspace and went straight into the top 100 in it's genre in under 10 hours.<br />
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As traditional book shops die out (something that saddens me) the roll of the publisher become less and less important.You can do everything they can do at no cost to yourself with some effort and some research. I used to go into Glasgow and go to Borders, Waterstones, the few wee independent book shops and loved walking around seeing all the books. Now there's only a small Waterstones left. <br />
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There is a great article on self publishing that everyone should read <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/04/04/hugh_howey_self_publishing_is_the_future_and_great_for_writers/" target="_blank">Self publishing is the future</a><br />
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The future of books is changing and if publishers and agents remain stuck in the ways of the past they could get left behind. More and more authors are seeing a chance to go it alone, to not be restricted by the view of one person at one agency. As a result some excellent work that would otherwise of gone unpublished is out there being enjoyed by readers all over the world.<br />
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My story as an author is in it's infancy, but by deciding to go it alone at least that story has begun. My book has received rave reviews from all over the world. I am delighted to say that every one of those reviews has been 5 stars on amazon, goodreads, blogs and anywhere else you can think of.<br />
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If you are looking to self publish and would like any advice (free of charge!) then contact me through the blog or any of the other avenues listed below. If you would like to buy a copy of the book in ebook or paperback (thank you in advance) and the links are below.<br />
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For the UK and European paperback follow the link to buy <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-Kevin-McLeod/dp/1484113683/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1367312103&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice paperback </a><br />
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For the UK and European Ebook version follow this link to buy <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1367312103&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice Kindle version</a><br />
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For USA and the rest of the world paperback follow this link to buy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-Kevin-McLeod/dp/1484113683/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1367312127&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice paperback</a><br />
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For USA and the rest of the world Ebook follow this link <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1367312127&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice kindle version</a><br />
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If you want to contact me you can use any of these channels.<br />
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my website <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a><br />
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my email <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a><br />
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facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice</a><br />
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Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a><br />
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Goodreads <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17726782-the-viking-s-apprentice" target="_blank">Kevin McLeod's author page</a><br />
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In the next few weeks I hope to have some guest posts by some excellent self published authors. watch this space.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-73369912337611178942013-04-16T09:07:00.001-07:002013-04-16T09:07:06.512-07:00First chapter of The Viking's Apprentice for freeFor those of you who didn't know you can read the first chapter of my book <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366126957&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> free on Amazon with their innovative look inside feature. You can, if you prefer, have a sample sent direct to your kindle. Click on the book page and look to the right hand side. Click on 'send sample now' and enjoy.<br />
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For those of you without Amazon or a kindle you can read the first chapter for free on Wattpad by following this link <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/14641259-the-viking%27s-apprentice" target="_blank">Free chapter</a> which will take you straight too it. If you like what you read and would like to buy The Viking's Apprentice here is the info.<br />
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For UK and European customers - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366126957&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Buy The Viking's Apprentice on Amazon</a><br />
<br />
For customers from the USA and India - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366127333&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Buy The Viking's Apprentice on Amazon</a><br />
<br />
For Kobo owners - <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Vikings-Apprentice/book-toCGaff7Ck-quUS4jiKqUg/page1.html?s=2UuDVmBDKEKfFXg6Ulecvw&r=3" target="_blank">Buy The Viking's Apprentice on Kobo</a><br />
<br />
For Ibook customers - <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-vikings-apprentice/id634007532?mt=11" target="_blank">Buy The Viking's Apprentice on Ibooks</a><br />
<br />
For Lulu customers - <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/kevin-mcleod/the-vikings-apprentice/ebook/product-20946987.html" target="_blank">Buy the Viking's Apprentice on Lulu</a><br />
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Thank you to everyone who has bought the book so far and thank you for all the amazing feedback. As always you can contact me through the following channels.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com </a>, email: <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a> twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a> facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a>, wattpad: <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/TheVikingsApprentice" target="_blank">wattpad author page</a>, goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7031977.Kevin_McLeod" target="_blank">author page</a>, authorsDB <a href="http://www.authorsdb.com/authors-directory/2102-kevin-mcleod" target="_blank">author page on ADB</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-91349860640118582882013-04-14T02:38:00.001-07:002013-04-14T09:36:44.534-07:00Book update featuring how to fall down the stairs (now with photo!)It has been a busy weekend in the McLeod household. First of all <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365929936&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> landed on Ibooks. If you are one of the people who has been waiting on the IBook version please click here <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-vikings-apprentice/id634007532?mt=11" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> to download your copy.<br />
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I have had some communications from my followers in the USA (my stats tell me more people in the US read my blog than anywhere else) that the link I give for the book does not allow them to buy it. The link I have been giving out is for UK Amazon so let me fix that right now. If you are in the USA or India and want to purchase The Viking's Apprentice follow this link:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365931091&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice USA</a><br />
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For those of you who have already bought the book in America thank you for making it rise to Number 8 in it's genre. I appreciate every purchase and I am grateful to all of you. Enjoy reading :)<br />
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After the successful launch on IBook the first paperback copies of the book arrived. These are very special copies especially for Furnace primary school. For those of you who have read my earlier blogs you will know that the town of Furnace was the inspiration behind my story setting. A quiet sleepy village on the water, secluded and surrounded by hills and forests. The school ordered the copies after learning that I had used their town as my inspiration. These copies have been given to the school free of charge. They inspired me maybe I can inspire them. The book is to be used as their reading book for next term and beyond!<br />
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Here is a photo of the first signed book, just because really!<br />
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So, IBook go live done, paperback copies arrived and first book signing all achieved this weekend.<br />
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<u><b>Now for my tip of the day!</b></u><br />
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Do not attempt to answer your tweets while walking down the stairs in your home. Especially if your two dogs are coming down the stairs with you. As I lost my footing and began to fall I was faced with a choice, do I use my arms to slow me down when I hit the stairs or my butt? I opted for arms and now have very attractive burns down my right arm. My HTC tumbled out of my hands hitting the stairs and then the hall floor quickly followed by me and my chocolate Lab Ted. My Jack Russell, Megan, had the sense to head up the stairs as I was falling down them.<br />
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Some of you have asked how badly I hurt my arm, well here is the proof! Ouch!!<br />
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Competition reminder:<br />
I launched The Viking's Apprentice competition in my last blog and here is the question again.<br />
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How many sons does Tanis have? Answers by email to <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">Email Kevin</a> prizes, closing dates and rules were in my last blog so check it out and good luck.<br />
As always here are my contact details for anyone wanting to get in touch.<br />
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website: <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a> twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a> email <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a> Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thevikingsapprentice" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice FB</a><br />
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Enjoy your Sunday and feel free to get in touch. I answer all emails, tweets, Fb's etc personally.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-35630553875397108232013-04-10T13:52:00.001-07:002013-04-12T12:47:53.437-07:00Competition ideas and now competition question!This is a blog post that I want to open up to all of you. I am thinking of running a competition where a lucky winner will receive either a signed poster of the cover art, a signed print edition of the book (out soon) or both!<br />
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So my questions for all of you are which prizes would you like? Should there be three prizes IE First prize is signed cover art and a signed book. Second Prize would be the signed book and third prize would be the signed cover art.<br />
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For the questions themselves would you like a single question, a single question with multiple choice or 3 questions?<br />
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Please email me your preferences @ <a href="mailto:kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com</a> and we will go with whatever most people decide. I will update this blog post in 24 hours with the most popular choice.<br />
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In order to enter you will have to know <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365626784&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> click on this link to take you to the amazon purchase page. The deadline for entries will be set to give people time to read the book if they haven't already!<br />
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Thank you to everyone who has purchased the book, followed the blog and been in touch. Your support is very much appreciated. Just to remind you here is the cover art you will win as part of the prize. It will be signed by myself and the artist. Good luck and I look forward to receiving your suggestions.<br />
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Competition Vote results and question<br />
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The Votes are in and you all voted for 3 prizes. Top prize is a signed book and poster. 2nd prize is a signed copy of the book and 3rd prize is a signed poster.<br />
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Here is the question..... In the Viking's Apprentice how many sons does Tanis have?<br />
Answers to my email address kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com or by Direct message on twitter @bannon1975<br />
The winners will be selected at random by my daughters! The closing date is May 30th. Good luck.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-11976687854935293542013-04-09T12:11:00.002-07:002013-04-09T12:11:59.629-07:00The book reviews<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365533939&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> has been on sale for 10 days and is already attracting a lot of reviews. I can't tell you how happy I am to say that they are all 5 star reviews. One is from an independent reviewer from Worldpress and two are from teachers. The teaching reviews are important to me as my book is aimed at that age group from perhaps Primary 6 upwards. The others are from happy readers, which of course I greatly appreciate.<br />
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I am thankful for every reader who takes the time to write a review and I am glad that <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365533939&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> connected with them in a way that made them want to write a review.<br />
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You can purchase your copy of the book here for £2.99 UK and $2.99 USA <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top" target="_blank">Buy The Viking's Apprentice</a><br />
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Here are the reviews so far. Thank you to everyone who has written a review and to everyone who has purchased the book.<br />
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<span style="margin-right: 5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0 " style="background-image: url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/common/sprites/sprite-site-wide._V146303782_.png); background-position: -30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 13px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 65px;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><b>Fantastic</b>, <nobr>31 Mar 2013</nobr></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A219TADRY17PE8/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp" style="color: #004b91;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rebbie Reviews</span></a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A219TADRY17PE8/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="color: #004b91;">See all my reviews</a></div>
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<span class="crVerifiedStripe"><b class="h3color tiny" style="color: #e47911; margin-right: 0.5em;">Amazon Verified Purchase</b><span class="tiny verifyWhatsThis">(<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase" style="color: #004b91;" target="AmazonHelp">What is this?</a>)</span></span></div>
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<b><span class="h3color tiny" style="color: #e47911;">This review is from: </span>The Viking's Apprentice (Kindle Edition)</b></div>
I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting much from this book. It's really not my thing and not a genre I tend to read, the artwork on the cover is nice. I found this author when I opened up my Rebbie Reviews twitter account and thought I'd give it a whirl.<br /><br />So, what did I think? Well it seemed a little strange, the book opens with vikings and then the next thing you know you're in a school at the end of term. I figured it'd be some little boy's wild imagination or a school project. Peter, our main character is going to spend the summer at his grandad's house in Campbell's Cove. Then the book really gets going! This is a story like none I've ever read, it's got everything from kids to vikings to witches, trolls and talking bears!<br /><br />Aimed at older children and young adults, it's fun for a wide range of people including those who are fans of the genre, it's well written with good description but still allowing that bit of artistic license for the reader. It's easy to read and I could not put this book down, by mid way through I was completely hooked and excited to see what would happen next.<br /><br />I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone but any of you guys with young teens? Get this book to them!<br /><br />9/10<br /><br />Kevin's next book is in the works now and I for one, cannot wait to read it!<div style="clear: both; padding-top: 10px; width: 579.5px;">
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful</div>
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<span style="margin-right: 5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0 " style="background-image: url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/common/sprites/sprite-site-wide._V146303782_.png); background-position: -30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 13px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 65px;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><b>Excellent read with plenty to get a kids imagination going,</b>,<nobr>8 April 2013</nobr></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A20KG8VCIP0OCM/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp" style="color: #004b91;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">miss tracey mccormick</span></a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A20KG8VCIP0OCM/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="color: #004b91;">See all my reviews</a></div>
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Not my normal kind of read,however it turned out to be a real page turner.<br />It's without a doubt aimed at older children with active imaginations (8 onwards) with memorable characters you are taken to places with each chapter that just feeds to your excitement. Has left me guessing about the next book which is what a good book is all about.<br />It's a must buy when it's out on paper back for my house hold for my son and I can't wait for the next book to be released.<div style="clear: both; padding-top: 10px; width: 579.5px;">
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful</div>
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Everyone should download this book! The story is amazing and extremely well written. The characters are excellent and very believable. If you want to spend an enjoyable few hours of reading.This is the book for you!<div style="clear: both; padding-top: 10px; width: 579.5px;">
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful</div>
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<span style="margin-right: 5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0 " style="background-image: url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/common/sprites/sprite-site-wide._V146303782_.png); background-position: -30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 13px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 65px;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><b>Fabulous</b>, <nobr>7 April 2013</nobr></span></div>
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I loved this book. I'm a primary teacher and am sure the pupils in my class would enjoy it too! It would really help ignite their imaginations, it is a true adventure story with the setting, characters and plot needed to keep you thoroughly engaged. It reminds me of the fun adventures I used to read and reenact when I was younger. The Viking's Apprentice is certainly more fast paced and thrilling than some of the more traditional adventure series. It does however give you the warm feeling of comradery which children relate to and often refer to when using their own imaginations. I feel this successful combination makes it suitable for both boys and girls to enjoy- oh and adults of course too!<div style="clear: both; padding-top: 10px; width: 579.5px;">
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful</div>
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This story is aimed at older children/young adults. It moved along at a good pace. The characters were engaging with the "goodies" appearing real and likeable and the "baddies" bad enough that you definitely wanted them sorted out. I felt a real sense of involvement in the plot and read it in 2 sittings - would have been one if I hadn't had a previous engagement! This will appeal to readers who enjoy books along the lines of Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl and could be enjoyed equally by boys or girls. Definitely one worth having on the bookshelf.<div style="clear: both; padding-top: 10px; width: 579.5px;">
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Absolutely fantastic. I can't wait to read the next instalment. This book will appeal to all age groups and I am looking forward to reading it to my youngest so I can immerse myself in the story once more. Well done Kevin.<div style="clear: both; padding-top: 10px; width: 579.5px;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-26005577243417761682013-04-08T13:04:00.000-07:002013-04-08T13:04:00.170-07:00The location for The Viking's ApprenticeHow do authors choose the locations for their books?<br />
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I can't speak for everyone, but for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365450481&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> I chose the location based on a town I know well. My wife grew up in a very small town in West Scotland called Furnace. Furnace is located on Loch Fyne and is several miles from the nearest town in any direction. At night it is deathly quiet and the stars shine like nothing you would see in the city.<br />
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There is one Inn, one shop, one very small school and several small streets. To me it was the perfect location for The Viking's Apprentice. A place where children go on their summer holidays to stay with relatives. I. myself, used to go to a town not far away for my summer holidays to stay with my aunt and uncle.<br />
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To turn Furnace into Campbell's Cove all I had to do was remove the quarry and replace it with a cave system and a new street. I turned Loch Fyne into the Ocean and my perfect location was born. Once you read <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365450481&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> you will appreciate the atmosphere that the location helps build.<br />
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Here is a photo of Furnace from the air. On the right hand side is the quarry which has been taken out of my village otherwise the layout remains pretty much the same.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzmDypTblaULGsjhoSH86lwhl1_vE_YZQTsxeVl0CbKYVmP1yMy7ZtwvOnj_SEoI3ldDZPJydCzrzEnfNd_o8fXkIosxlaerI3SNc_bwovBYzhd2njHE74OsvDU6pclpeDm4KPxJj81pg/s1600/Campbell's+Cove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzmDypTblaULGsjhoSH86lwhl1_vE_YZQTsxeVl0CbKYVmP1yMy7ZtwvOnj_SEoI3ldDZPJydCzrzEnfNd_o8fXkIosxlaerI3SNc_bwovBYzhd2njHE74OsvDU6pclpeDm4KPxJj81pg/s320/Campbell's+Cove.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see from the photo the town is very secluded and right on the water, perfect for the story line of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365450481&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a><br />
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Please visit my website at www.kevinmcleodauthor.com or email me @ kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com<br />
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my twitter account is <a href="https://twitter.com/bannon1975" target="_blank">@bannon1975</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-72446495741198869042013-04-07T13:07:00.001-07:002013-04-07T14:44:21.238-07:00What's in a title?One of the most common questions I have been asked is how did I come up with the title for my book. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365364413&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> began life with no title then moved on to be called Campbell's Cove. I stuck with this title right through writing the book until the final month. In June 2012 with the first draft almost complete my wife pointed out that title didn't really say anything about the book. It did not convey to the reader anything that would let them know what they were in for.<br />
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This proved quite a problem for me as I actually quite liked the name. I liked the town I had created and the name meant something to me. That was just the point though. It meant something to me because I knew all about Campbell's Cove, I had been writing about it for 18 months. Laying out the town, thinking about the people, the smells, the views everything. The reader, picking up the book for the first time would know nothing about the town and the name would tell them nothing about the book.<br />
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My solution was to read my book through from cover to cover and wait for the title to jump off the pages. When it did it made perfect sense. I knew straight away that it was the correct title and so <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365364413&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> was born.<br />
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Not only will this be the name for the first book it will also be the start of the name for every book in the series. Book 2 is under way and I will be writing about that in the near future.<br />
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Tomorrow's post will have an ariel shot of Campbell's Cove...<br />
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visit the website <a href="http://www.kevinmcleodauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.kevinmcleodauthor.com</a> email me at kevinmcleodauthor@gmail.com<br />
Follow me on twitter <complete id="goog_869194015">@bannon1975</complete>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286611620547651594.post-7689474322378201732013-04-06T01:10:00.001-07:002013-04-06T01:10:14.784-07:00First author interviewOn Wednesday I took part in a short author interview with Rebecca Bennett of Rebbie Reviews, you can visit the website here. <a href="http://rebbiereviews.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/interview-with-kevin-mcleod-author-of-the-vikings-apprentice/" target="_blank">Author interview</a><br />
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We discussed <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365235154&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a> and what inspired me to write. A full transcript of the interview is below.<br />
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<tr><td style="vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap; width: 60px !important;"><a href="http://rebbiereviews.wordpress.com/author/rebbiereviews/" style="color: #2585b2; cursor: pointer; display: block;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" class="ecxavatar ecxavatar-50" height="50" src="https://dub118.mail.live.com/Handlers/ImageProxy.mvc?bicild=&canary=x%2fMLQXZw5EuMfZKC9FCyeePm2Nk04z6NGNisEh58eiY%3d0&url=http%3a%2f%2f0.gravatar.com%2favatar%2f9d1464fcd25b5bc0a09e6f6debc59ad5%3fs%3d50%26d%3didenticon%26r%3dG" style="border: none;" width="50" /></a></td><td><h2 class="ecxpost-title" style="color: #555555; font-family: 'Segoe UI Web Light', 'Segoe UI Light', 'Segoe UI Web Regular', 'Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">
<a href="http://rebbiereviews.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/interview-with-kevin-mcleod-author-of-the-vikings-apprentice/" style="color: #2585b2; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Interview with Kevin McLeod, Author of The Viking’s Apprentice</a></h2>
<span style="color: #888888;">by <a href="http://rebbiereviews.wordpress.com/author/rebbiereviews/" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136) !important; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">rebbiereviews</a></span></td></tr>
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I am delighted to have had the chance to interview this newly discovered author, Kevin McLeod. I recently reviewed his book "The Viking's Apprentice".</div>
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So Here it is!</div>
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<em>So Kevin, what made you want to become an author?</em></div>
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<strong>My inspiration to become an author came when I was about 12 and read The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. He had taken a break from writing horror to write a story for his kids. Simply put, it was brilliant. I started writing short stories for fun and did that for a few years. Life took over then I rediscovered my passion when I turned 30 and starting writing again. I just love it, I can lose hours at a time writing.</strong></div>
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<em>Do you have a favourite author?</em></div>
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<strong>Favourite author is a tough one, I guess from my previous answer you would be expecting Stephen King or going by my chosen genre maybe Rick Riordan or Joseph Delaney. However it has to be R.J. Ellory, his books are fantastic. So well written and the characters and places draw you into his world.</strong></div>
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<em>Why Vikings?</em></div>
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<strong>Why Vikings? I think there is always this mystery and interest around Vikings, these wild warriors that traveled the seas to conquer and pillage. The image of a Viking is so striking I was able to use that imagery to draw the reader into the book. Although I have not cast them in their regular role I think the role they play works well. Trying hard not to give away too much with that answer!</strong></div>
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<em>The cover of your book is beautiful, I understand your brother is the artist. Does he do a lot of cover work?</em></div>
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<strong>My brother did do the cover art, he is an excellent artist with skills that far out do most I have seen. By day he is a web designer but by night he zones into his artwork. This was his first cover art.</strong></div>
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<em>Could other authors contact him for cover work?</em></div>
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<strong> I am sure Paul would not mind be contacted by authors, they can contact him through<a href="http://kevinmcleodauthor.com/" style="color: #2585b2; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit;" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor.com</a> and leave a message entitled FAO Paul.</strong></div>
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<em>You’re currently writing the second book of the “The Viking’s Apprentice” Series, how many are you planning?</em></div>
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<strong>Originally I was planning 3 books in the series, but recently I had an idea for a prequel to The Viking's Apprentice which would be set in the era of the Vikings. Don't want to say too much more in case I give away any plots!</strong></div>
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<em>How long did it take you to write the book?</em></div>
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<strong>The book took two years to bring to completion. I have two daughters and a day job so I was, like many others, fitting writing in around my life. Book 2 will not take as long to finish as I already have location maps, characters defined and stronger coffee :)</strong></div>
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<em>Are you interested in exploring other genres, or do you feel your feet are firmly planted in Adventure?</em></div>
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<strong>I don't feel my feet are planted only in adventure or only in YA fiction, but for now they are as I love the books I am writing and I am enjoying it so much I am not ready to let it go yet!</strong></div>
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<em>And finally, do you have any words for aspiring authors?</em></div>
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<strong>Don't ever give up, if you have a story inside you that you feel is worth sharing. It probably is. Also don't let edits and corrections get you down, they are part of the process and the end results will speak volumes. One last thing, when the characters in your book seem real to you, they will appear that way to other people.</strong></div>
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Thank you very much for your time Kevin, I am very pleased to have had the chance to do this interview with you.</div>
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For more information on Kevin McLeod please check out his website<strong><a href="http://kevinmcleodauthor.com/" style="color: #2585b2; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit;" target="_blank">kevinmcleodauthor.com</a></strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vikings-Apprentice-ebook/dp/B00C2I5J04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365235154&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Viking's Apprentice</a></div>
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Please visit my facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheVikingsApprentice" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/TheVikingsApprentice</a></div>
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or talk to me on twitter <complete id="goog_2038431358">@bannon1975 </complete></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129985934601176020noreply@blogger.com0