Monday 17 September 2012

Blogtalk Radio Interview with Renee Hand

                                                                                                                                                            
Here is the transcript of my radio interview with Renee Hand. I enjoyed the chat about Dark Moon very much. Please listen to it and leave a comment.


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogtalkradio.com%2Fstoriesfromunknownauthors%2F2012%2F09%2F11%2Finterview-with-maggie-tideswell-for-dark-moon%2Fplaylist.xml&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx

Tuesday 17 July 2012

4****Star PRG Review


Book:  Dark Moon
Author:  Maggie Tideswell
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  All Things That Matter Press
Rating:  Adult

This is a story of love and the occult.  At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to the characters who are involved in the story.  At first it is confusing, but then we are taken on an interesting exploration of the characters and their eventual involvement with each other.
Storm Fenton is a psychologist living with her best friend, Donna.  Storm has been dating Trevor Heardt for almost a year and is hoping that he will propose marriage to her. But things change when Storm meets a man on the beach, Jarred Walters, a Navy Captain, and has a sexual encounter with him.  The encounter results in Storm becoming pregnant, leading to her decision not to marry Trevor, even if he asked. She is determined to raise her child on her own and doesn't even know the father's name. Since she was a virgin when she met the stranger there is no doubt that the baby is not Trevor's.
But a pregnancy and a onetime sexual tryst are just the beginning of the bad things about to happen to Storm.  When Jarred finally finds Storm and realizes that she is pregnant with his child, he is determined to marry her and raise his child. But Storm wants Trevor. Or does she?  Why is she constantly thinking about Jarred if Trevor is the one she wants?
While all this is going on someone is raping and murdering women.  There have been seven murders and no clues as to the culprit.  Can the murderer be someone no one would expect?  Trevor's actions become irrational.  His mother is a witch and he finds out that he has a long lost sister.  According to his mother there is something evil about Trevor, and he has plans for Storm.  What are those plans?  If his mother is a witch, does he also practice magic?  Does he practice Black Magic? Who is Trevor really?  Will Storm make the right decision in who she wants to be with? What about the baby?
Although I couldn't figure out what the characters had in common in the beginning, and it seemed a little confusing, it didn't take long for the author to clear everything up.  The love story was beautifully written and I couldn't help hoping that Storm would pick the right man.  Did she?  This is also a story of good over evil and who eventually wins. I really enjoyed this book it had it all, great characters, love, romance and of course, magic.  So many twists, turns and surprises.  You never knew what was going to happen next.  It held my interest throughout.

Reviewed By:   Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team

Dark Moon is available from the following fine online stores:
http://tinyurl.com/3tl3bqu
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-moon-maggie-tideswell/1033872538?ean=9780984651764
http://www.kalahari.com/books/Dark-Moon/632/42728694.aspx
http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/LunaMags

Saturday 30 June 2012

Kindle Supernatural Romance Novel

 Dark Moon by Maggie Tideswell

Oh! Look! A Kindle Supernatural Romance Novel for $5.99 / £3.90!


A spellbinding novel of love, murder, and the supernatural.

Chance meetings can have far-reaching effects. Loved ones may not be who they seem. The line between comprehension and confusion is thin ~ particularly when one's thoughts are being manipulated by another.

In Dark Moon, the eternal triangle takes an innovative twist into the occult as dark magic fights against those who serve the Light.

The prize? A woman's soul.

Reviews:

"Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Southern African landscape, any reader who hasn't visited the country before will feel like they are taken on an explorative journey to the spectacular sights, sounds and colors of this strikingly beautiful tip of the African continent. The author doesn't hold back on the descriptions of the characters' surroundings and thus lets readers immerse themselves into the real-life world the story is based on."

"Maggie Tideswell takes the reader on a wonderfully written story that is infused with mystery, passion, sadness, unconditional love and of course magic. It will have you hooked with the first sentence, as you ride on a roller coaster of suspense and intrigue."

Bringing you the best romance books available!

allthingsthatmatterpress.com
http://tinyurl.com/3tl3bqu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvFqnD20-IE

Friday 29 June 2012

How to Edit a Difficult Project



By Karen Cole
Words: 650

The job of a ghost writer (or anyone else who writes) is to create brilliantly written copy. Today’s book market won’t stand for anything else, even if the original material is creative and full of new, interesting ideas. Presentation is still very important, so you should know how to edit properly and with professional presence, style and sophistication. But sometimes, your material can be something of a nightmare or otherwise unwieldy and difficult to work with – don’t despair, there are ways!
When facing a huge manuscript that obviously needs to be pared down sizably, the first thing a ghost writer should do is ask the original author or client what he or she wants to see used in the manuscript primarily, and what needs to be removed. It helps to take out any excessive, redundant material, but as in all cases, communication with the client is crucial. You need to ask them what they want to see in the newly edited manuscript – tighter writing, more of a plot line, new characters, how they might like to see it reworked, etc.
It’s your job as the editor/ghost writer to go through the manuscript, and yes, although it may be a lot of work, going through everything (including any separate notes) is needed; but you must also decide for yourself what constitutes excess material. Fortunately, you can usually just read through everything once, make some liner notes yourself, and then begin the process of culling out unneeded material. If you make ample notes as you go: “Needs more drama throughout entire scene,” etc. you will have no problems in going back and editing what’s needed where it’s needed.
Meanwhile, what if the author client didn’t make an outline, or the outline or notes are a huge, misguided mess? Well, in all cases, again communication is paramount. You can’t read minds or do too much guesswork. Over time, I’ve found that most authors can write an outline and the general ideas in their notes so that I don’t have to worry; but sometimes people are a bit scatterbrained and need some direction. A phone call is best here, with plenty of discussion about what they want to see in the book and what can be safely removed without the author crying, “My baby! What did you do to my baby?”
Messy notes are really not as big of a deal as insufficient notes. You need to know where the book is going to stand, so if you have a lot of messy notes, going through them helps, as long as they are legible. I always ask my clients to send me their notes in Word 2007 or later. Handwritten notes can be a true nightmare; you don’t want to have to deal with those. As for the first draft, if the client can get you one of those – wonderful! It helps to have a first draft, even if it’s sprawling and messy, so you know basically what you’re working from and how to begin to go about dealing with it. Your job is to whip it all into shape for the second and final drafts. You may be adding background material, researching the material the author client included, asking the author to write about permission to use cited materials from other people’s works, etc.
Whatever you do, maintain constant contact with the client, sending along the installments of the work as you go. And don’t despair; if everything is sprawling, messy and excessive, that’s the very reason the client hired you to write for them in the first place. So it’s your job to get it all down to a dull roar, and then to rework it into something that might hit the best seller lists.



Tuesday 26 June 2012



Fantastic News!

What can be more exciting than a title change!

 During the edit it became clear that the title Storm's Choice was too cutesy and sweet - and therefore misleading. Make no mistake, the story is romance, but there is more to it, as the cover announces boldly.
My editor from All Things That Matter Press asked me to think of something different/better. I went blank
In the end
Personally I have always felt that the title was all wrong - and lets face it, the title of the book has a very important job - to give the reader a one-word synopsis of what the book is about. In this case, yes, Storm has a choice to make, but that's not all.
There are elements of witchcraft in it - don't get me wrong, there aren't people running around waving wands about! Nor is it a textbook on the craft. Read it with an open mind!
My daily posts will resume forthwith on Saturday with Symbol Saturday, Scribbly Sunday, Ghostly Monday, Cape Town Tuesday, Witchy Wednesday and Wobbly Thursday.
See you there!


allthingsthatmatterpress.com http://tinyurl.com/3tl3bqu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvFqnD20-IE

Storm's Choice flows to Dark Moon



Fantastic News!

What can be more exciting than a title change!

 During the edit it became clear that the title Storm's Choice was too cutesy and sweet - and therefore misleading. Make no mistake, the story is romance, but there is more to it, as the cover announces boldly.
My editor from All Things That Matter Press asked me to think of something different/better. I went blank
In the end
Personally I have always felt that the title was all wrong - and lets face it, the title of the book has a very important job - to give the reader a one-word synopsis of what the book is about. In this case, yes, Storm has a choice to make, but that's not all.
There are elements of witchcraft in it - don't get me wrong, there aren't people running around waving wands about! Nor is it a textbook on the craft. Read it with an open mind!
My daily posts will resume forthwith on Saturday with Symbol Saturday, Scribbly Sunday, Ghostly Monday, Cape Town Tuesday, Witchy Wednesday and Wobbly Thursday.
See you there!








allthingsthatmatterpress.com
http://tinyurl.com/3tl3bqu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvFqnD20-IE

Interview by Carrie Bailey

Book Promotion with Maggie Tideswell

An effective book marketing campaign appeals to readers on a fundamental level and crosses the usual boundaries. Even if the genre doesn't interest a person, the author's objective is to leave the person with an impression of professionalism and quality. If it does, then the goal is to move them to learn more about your work until they are convinced to purchase. Maggie Tideswell, the South African author of Dark Moon published 2011 by All Things That Matter Press, offers insight to the process of marketing her novel in this interview with Peevish Penman. She has been writing off and on for 20 years.

PPM: Do you use a persona to promote your work? 

The way I see promotion is similar to branding. You have to create your brand and my brand is my name, Maggie Tideswell.

PPM: As authors, our writing style is often influenced by others, but can you identify anyone who has inspired how you market your work? 

Maggie: No, not really. When my book was released last year, I didn't know where to start promoting it. Then I was told that one should start the promotion at least a year before the release. The other authors of the All Things That Matter Press forum - we are all encouraged to join and take part in the forum - have been most helpful. We are all in the same boat and have to start somewhere. The help and support has been tremendous.

PPM: It sounds like you started promoting later than you wanted. When did you decide how you would market Dark Moon? 

Maggie: I was going to have a big publishing house with an experienced marketing team to do it for me, wasn't I? I never thought about marketing. But the face of publishing has changed radically and these days, even if your work is snapped up by a big traditional publisher, it is up to the author to market the book. The competition is fierce out there - I always say that this business of book promotion is not for sissies. And like most artists, money is always a problem. One could hire a publicist to handle marketing for you, but it is so expensive that I could not afford it. What I did do, and this is a great marketing tool and well worth the cost, was to have a promotional book trailer made professionally.

PPM: What other publications have you completed? 

Maggie: Dark Moon was my debut novel and my second, titled Moragh, will be released later this year. The biggest challenge in the life of any novel is finding somebody who believe in it enough to publish it without it costing you a dime. If the book is good, there will be a publisher out there who will publish it. It might take a while to find the right publisher, but if you are diligent in your search, you will.

PPM: How did you feel when you first saw the trailer for Dark Moon? 
 
 Maggie: I was thrilled! It is one thing holding the actual book in your hands for the first time - a moment all writers dream of - but to see your dreams transformed into a mini movie, was an indescribable feeling.
PPM: Is Dark Moon a book you can judge by its cover? 

 Maggie: Yes, definitely. I wanted the elements in the book on the front cover so that people looking at it, could see at a glance what they were going to get. The cover should be a summary of the book, and with Dark Moon, I think we have achieved that.

PPM: Is there anything you've learned about promoting Dark Moon that you can apply to Moragh when it will be released? 

Yes, I have learnt not to be so protective of my writing and to talk to people about it. Previously, I never used to tell people about my stories - not even that I was writing them - but if nobody knows about a book, they can't look for it and buy it. And word of mouth is the best marketing tool.

PPM: If you could go back to any point over the past 20 years that you've been writing and give yourself advice (something self-promotion related), what would it be? 

I would let people know that I am a writer. I would ask more people to read and comment, instead of keeping it all to myself and not allowing anybody to see any part of it. It is important to have a set of beta readers whose opinion you trust.


http://tinyurl.com/3tl3bqu