New Blog Series: Writing and Publishing a Novel--Behind the Scenes

When I was little, the first three Star Wars movies came out and blew everyone away. The special effects of Lucas' ILM took us places we never thought possible. And whenever one of those "The Making of..." programs came on, I was one of those geeked-out fans who watched with rapt attention. I can still remember watching how they filmed the X-Wing Fighter chase through the Death Star channel. COOL.

Even now, I absolutely love watching all the extra material on DVD's. I count The Lord of the Rings Extended Version Bonus DVDs among my most cherished treasures. lol. So I got to thinking that so many visitors to Enter the Door Within have tons of questions about writing and publishing. What if I take you behind the scenes?

Christopher Hopper and I have finished Curse of the Spider King. We're getting ready to hit the sequel now. So for the next series of posts, I will literally show you the nuts and bolts of how a novel comes together. From invention to editing, polishing to publishing--you'll see how it gets done. So tune in! You might even get a few sneak peeks at the new book. ;-)

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Unimaginable Creative Boost: 3D Art Made Easy

I love to draw. Ever since I was a little kid with a pack of crayons…I just couldn't get enough. Whether it was sketching space battles on looseleaf paper in 5th grade, complete with laser blast sound effects (I'm so sorry, Mrs. Sugars!) or doing pen and ink work for my high school's yearbook cover...I was hooked on art.

Creating is just too much fun, eh? Well, somewhere in the 90's, I found a program called Bryce 3D. It's a realistic landscape program that I've been using ever since to craft the settings of my books. And seriously, the limits are that of your imagination. It is ALL doable.

For a while, Bryce 3D disappeared. You couldn't find it anymore. Then Daz Studios came along, bought it up and made it better than ever. And more than that, Daz is practically giving it away. I've put an ad for Daz Studios in my sidebar. If you have any desire to draw with 3D art, you need to check out the Daz site. I use Bryce 3D, Daz Studio, and Carerra Pro (just learning this one). And I have to tell you, anyone can use these programs to make impressive art. Bryce is easy. Daz is not too hard. Carerra...mmm, not sure yet. But the results are staggeringly cool.

Check it out. Oh, I should mention for my younger blog visitors, get your parents' permission first. Sometimes, esp. with human modeling programs, the artwork can end up being revealing, so just know that ahead of time.

Happy drawing!

PS: The image you see above is a first render of a scene from my new book: Curse of the Spider King.

Last Chance to Vote! Banner Contest!

The Banner Contest is over. 33 entries were submitted. I've posted them all below. First, I cannot thank enough those of you who entered. I know a bit about design work. It's very exacting and very time consuming. And now, I'm left with the choice of which one wins the contest and becomes the official Banner of Enter the Door Within. And...

I can't make up my mind! Please see the poll in the sidebard and vote for the design you like best. It I get a majority, that will help me make the decision. Thanks!

I've not included the artists names at this time, so just refer to each header by it's design number. If you would like to review the rules and regs, click HERE!

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These just added as of March 21st:

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Design 33.

TRIBE BUILDING CONTEST: PART 2 Begins NOW!!!

Build Your Tribe

Begin Your Quest

Last year's Tribebuilding Contest for Curse of the Spider King was a HUGE success! We had six active tribes who worked together to do some absolutely amazing things! Venom & Song, book 2 of The Berinfell Chronicles will ship to stores beginning June 9th, so in honor of Book 2's release Christopher Hopper and I are launching:
Tribebuilding Contest 2


This year's contest will use the same general rules as last year's contest, but with a few major changes:

1. Tribe can earn GINORMOUS points for Creative Open Category Projects! It will vary by concept. Just propose an idea, and I'll tell you how many points will be offered.  

2. Last year, we had six of the seven tribe names taken. If those tribes want to participate again, please let me know immediately so we can secure the Tribe Name for you. Additional tribes can create their own tribe name.

3. Tribe must be at least 14 people, not 21 like last year.

4. Tribes need not be geographically close in location to each other, but it helps when we plan the private book party.

5. Amazon Blitz, coming soon, so do NOT order Venom and Song just yet. If you order ON THE BLITZ DAY, it will mean ridiculous points for your Tribe! I mean OUTRAGEOUS, IMPOSSIBLY LARGE Numbers! WOOT.

I've outlined the entire contest and uploaded it page-by-page as you see below. You can click all the images and read right from the Web.

OR

You can click HERE and download the pdf file.

Also, Tribe Leaders from last year, please email me about Rules/etc. that didn't work too well last year or were confusing. I'd like to make this year's even better than before.

 Let the games BEGIN!

Tribe Names Claimed Last Year:
*Note: email me right away if you want to reclaim your Tribe's Name, or I will open them for new Tribes!


Valorbrand: taken by Kiada/Starfast/Robby  

Silvertree: Taken by Keeneye 

Ashheart: Taken by AmyA

Nightwing: Taken by Jacob Parker  

Swiftstorm: Taken by Seth 

Shadowtear: Taken by TimV 

Oakenflower: Unclaimed



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Did you think I forgot to mention prizes?


In addition to the prizes from last year (Private Book Party, Swords, Signed ARCs, etc), how about having EVERY member of your tribe mentioned in the Acknowledgement section of Berinfell Book 3*???


How about access to a special "Member's Only" Website full of Berinfell Lore, original Desktop art, games, and more!


CH and I are still thinking about additional prizes, so check back often for updates!


PS: Last year's Prize Winners will begin receiving prize packs in June! Thank you for your patience!