A Paranormal/Fantasy World from Multiple Author's Points of View - The Twin Cities Series

Over December break at the end of 2014, Drew Avera contacted me. He was an author friend I met on Twitter. We discussed an idea he had which was similar to the books put out by multiple authors in the Star Trek Series. He wanted to get four or five authors together, build a world and then we would all write in it for the remainder of our writing careers. We could introduce our own set of characters, but we would also have crossover characters, which we all could use.

I thought it sounded like a great adventure. I had no idea where it would lead us all.

Drew, J.B. Cameron, me and two other authors, set the stage. We practically melted the Gmail links between us. The volley of emails became so overwhelming to the other female author who was in the group, that she dropped out after writing just one book, which she later pulled totally out of the series. The other unnamed male author in the group never even got a book written before he pulled out.

Author Recap of 2017 and Goals for 2018

It is about this time each year when I begin to reflect on my past year’s accomplishments as an author. I have been a self-published writer for four and a half years as of this month – originally published in May of 2013. A lot has happened in that time. As of this writing, I have twenty-six books in print, in four different genres.

As I have stated in my recaps in the past, I like to set goals for the upcoming year rather than making New Year’s resolutions. Some of these goals I achieve, some I set aside and some roll-over to become renewed goals because they were just so ‘darn good’ in the first place.

Marketing is always a challenge for an indie-author, and I tried many new things this year, which I would like to share. Some worked. Some did not. I try to keep in mind that in 2015 (the most recent year they have stats) Bowker, the folks who issue ISBN numbers, stated there were over 700,000 books self-published. It is hard to stand out in such a huge crowd. Marketing your books is like Dory’s advice in the Pixar film, ‘just keep swimming.’

Shifting Book 4 and 5 - NOW AVAILABLE

I am so pleased to announce that the final Shifting Books in
The Twin Cities Series 

Are Now Available for Presale
2 for the Price of 1 through the Presale

Book 4, Shifting from Darkness into Light will wrap up the story of Cody/Scar and Simone.

Cody has moved into Simone’s apartment now that she is gone. There is a problem, the place is haunted by a pooka, poltergeist or house elf… or is it?

Simone has found herself trapped in another dimension of The Realms.

Online Book Club - 4 out of 4 Star Review for 'Shifting in The Realms'

Online Book Club is a Free Online Community for Book Lovers

OnlineBookClub.org is a free site for readers that has been around for over 10 years, before smartphones even!

They have a lot of awesome features for book lovers and a massive community of active members from all over the world.

Some of their most popular features include Exclusive, original reviews by their profession review team.

Official Review: Shifting in the Realms by Theresa Snyder

Post Number:#1 by L_Therese » 27 Jul 2016, 21:22
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shifting in the Realms" by Theresa Snyder.]

"For reasons I have never been able to articulate, I am not usually a fan of vampire books. Shape-shifters are more appealing to me, so I took a chance on Theresa Snyder’s novella Shifting in The Realms. From the very first page to the last, I was happy that I did. I simply started reading and couldn't stop until it was over..."

To read the full review click "Shifting in The Realms"
"Shifting in The Realms" Available Everywhere

Book Trailers using Photo Story 3 and Free StockMusic

Greetings all my author friends:

Recently, I was asked by a promoter if I could supply a book trailer for the "Shifting Books" in my Twin Cities Series.

I didn't have one and did not have a clue as to how to build one. So I went to our friend Mr. Google and found the program referenced above Photo Story 3. Once I showed the finished product to some friends one suggested the other program listed; Free StockMusic.

Together these two programs made two nice trailers, but you be the judge:

 

Art by http://kwazar.deviantart.com/

 

Art by http://sdramsey.daportfolio.com/

The first was made with the music supplied with the program.

The second with the 'Action Hero' music from the Free StockMusic site.

I do not consider myself a 'techie' person, so I think you all could use it. I have already passed it on to a few author friends and one just completed making her own. I have to find out how she managed to get a background behind her images that moves and morphs like ocean waves.

Here is the Photo Story 3 Tutorial I watched before I downloaded the program. Simple huh?

My advice? Get on the programs and play. Fun, and I think, lovely results. I will get better with practice.

My best to you all!

SHIFTING - Halloween Challenge!

Take the Shifting Books Halloween Challenge

Win a Book!

1. Purchase "Shifting in The Realms"
2. Between October 17th and October 31st read the book and review it on any social media platform
3. (A) Post the link  to the review (and a way to contact you) in the comments on this article (B) Tweet me @TheresaSnyder19 with the link and #ShiftingReview (C) DM me on Twitter with the Link & your email address

I will contact you and arrange to send you an ebook of the second book in the series, "Shifting Agony & Ecstasy"

I promise not to use your email for anything other than to send you the second book.

A synopsis of the series, a sample chapter and the links for all the buying platforms (under the header) can be found here: The Shifting Books

This is a 62 page paranormal novella with a 4.6 Star rating on Amazon.
The story is seen through the eyes of a shape-shifter in his wolf form.

Warning there is reference made to the aftermath of a rape, and retribution for said rape.
However, this is a vital part of a story that develops into a unique adventure/romance with a liberal dose of humor.

Take the Challenge! 

I dare you! 

I Double 'Wolf' Dare You!

Art by Kwazar of Deviant Art

A Dilemma Presented - A Problem Solved

The Dilemma:

I have encountered a delightful dilemma, as an author. I have folks sending me my own books because they want me to autograph them and then mail the books back to them.

I am flattered that my signature and well wishes mean so much to my reading friends.

The Problem Solved:

I have had CreateSpace ship me some copies of my books. I have rounded out the pricing so you get a good deal on all the set. I have also devised some pretty cool 'bonus gifts' that I will ship with the books from my end in addition to the autographed copies. We all like 'Goodies' and 'Freebies.'

And I want to give you a special 'head-up' with this notice too.
If you buy a set of THE FARLOFT CHRONICLES and you have several children. Let me know. I will send you a coloring book with the 'kid friendly' tattoo for each of them. Not just one book for them to share. I know sharing can be an issue, though Farloft does his best to teach the concept.

Purchase the full set of "The Farloft Chronicles" for $60.00.

You receive the coloring book and kid friendly tattoo.

Purchase a full set of "The Star Traveler Series," for $60.00.

You receive all 6 frame worthy 11x17 posters of the cover art and cool bookmarks for each volume.

Poster Art by Sherry D. Ramsey

Bookmarks

Purchase a full set of "The Twin Cities Series" for $24.00.

You receive 8 frame worthy, 8.5x11 wolf prints of Scar and bookmarks for each volume.

Art by Kwazar of Deviant Art

Bookmarks

Purchase "We 3" for $20.00.

You receive custom bookmarks with tips & tricks for Elder Care.

Email me at TheresaSnyderAuthor@gmail.com to request the book(s) you would like.
I will get them to you as soon as possible.
(Additional charge for postage)

Introducing Cody/Scar from the "Shifting" books of The Twin Cities Series

I love working with artist and Kwazar of Deviant Art was one of the best experiences I have had. I spotted her talented work on her site while cruising around in search of someone to draw wolves for me.

For those of you who have not read the "Shifting" novellas, the main character is a shape-shifter named Cody. Cody has a big problem because the lady he loves adores him in his wolf form, as Scar, but could care less for him as a human. She does not know they are one-and-the-same.

The books "Shifting in The Realms" and "Shifting Agony & Ecstasy" are from Cody's point of view and mostly while he is in wolf form with Simone, his lady love. "Shifting Places" is the third and Cody joins Mr. Grimm to help him find his kidnapped daughter.

I wanted wolf drawings where you could see a hint of the human (Cody) peeking out. Kwazar certainly gave me what I was asking for. Here is a sampling of her work and the way I am using it to promote the books. Enjoy!

You can find the "Shifting Books" on your favorite buying platform, or

go to The Twin Cities Series

And you will find the links directly under the header.

The Story Behind the Story: The Twin Cities Series

Drew Avera is a big Jim Butcher fan and he loves how each of his books continues on a very big arc, while each book has its own arc. That takes a lot of talent to pull off and Drew started to wonder how he could do something similar without having to publish twenty books in a series when he already have several series titles that he was working on. The idea he came up with was to not do the series alone, but rather to enlist the help of writer friends he’d made along the way.

That’s where I came in. Drew approached and several other author. We started with a core group of people who brainstormed together with over a thousand emails on how to build the world we called The Realms. I’m pretty sure had I not deleted a bulk of those emails then gmail would have crashed. What came from those initial story ideas were stories set in the same world, using some of the same characters, while writing from the point of view of each individual author’s main character(s). Does it sound confusing? Trust me when I say we had a lot of details to work out.

2014 Goal Review and 2015 Goals

I really started my ‘published’ writing career in May of 2013. The goals I set for my second year of publishing have been completed and I wanted to review them here for posterity and my own feeling of accomplishment. Then I will set some goals for this year as an annual event from January to December 2015.

In 2014, I set out to place all my currently published Amazon books on Smashwords as well, because I wanted to have them widely available to everyone. Some of the Effortless English folks do not have access to Amazon in their countries. I am pleased to say I almost accomplished this. I have all the Farloft Chronicles and The Twin Cities volumes on Smashwords. We 3 will go up in February and the Star Traveler Series will follow one by one. All of them will be on by the end of 2015. There was a good reason for delaying the posting of the Star Traveler Series. I am having new covers made for them and they are a knock out. The artist is Sherry D. Ramsey and I am delighted with her work.

I added something to my workload that I had not anticipated for 2014. I put all the books except for the final four Scifi (still processing covers) into print-on-demand at the CreateSpace site. This has been a boon in the since that it has created more sales. Seems everyone wanted The Farloft Chronicles in paper. And, I must admit, Farloft looks fabulous in print.

I planned to do an interview a month on either a blog, radio, podcast, or website, etc. I did, in fact, accomplish this goal in full and then some. I did so many interviews and guest blogs that I decided to create a site for them, Interviews & Guest Blog Posts so readers could just go on and poke around a bit. Two of my favorites were the podcast with Cherrie McKenzie of Co-Active Dreams and my tea with Charlotte Ashlock . You can read and listen to all of them on the site, if you so desire.

And in 2014 I wrote. I did not finish the seventh volume in the Star Travelers Series, but I did add many more books I had not anticipated and with the Scifi series coming out in paper with new covers, volume #7 will be widely anticipated this year.

I published two new volumes in The Farloft Chronicle, #5 Three & a Half Dragons and #6 Dragon Memories, Dreams & Reflections .

I wrote another novella in the Twin Cities Series, Shifting Agony & Ecstasy. It is the further adventures of our shape-shifting friend, Cody. I am so pleased Drew brought me into the world of The Realms. These novellas have been receiving nothing but 5 Star reviews. Everyone seems to love them.

I also collaborated with a friend from England, David Stevens, and wrote a novella with him in the Scifi genre called In2Minds. It is going to be a trilogy and an exciting one at that - an astronaut risking his life to save his home world only to find things are not as he was led to believe. By the way, I might just throw in here that David has set his own goal, which is to give away a million books. Check out his site, there are some real steals there.

And last, but not least, is my blog and the sites connected to it. I post there every Saturday a chapter of the current serialized story I am working on. The blog is my melting pot of ideas. These often develop into books, so you can see the growth of ideas if you follow me there. You can sign up for a newsletter, which I assure you I do not overuse, or you can sign up for NetWorkBlogs so you will be informed when I have posted a new article or episode to the blog.

I also helped found a new site called The Society of Enlightened Dragonologists and their blog Enlightened Dragonologist. It was a dream of Cheryl Matthynssens to have a site that portrayed dragons as more then mere killing machines. I am gratified she included me on her quest to create this site.

A couple of things were added to the mix this year in addition to putting all the books in paperback. Folks on Twitter asked to see our garden, Our Quiet Corner, and so a YouTube channel was established. I did tours throughout the summer and some DIY projects of interest.

I created a podcast station basically for my Effortless English followers, who seem to like the sound of my voice, go figure. It is Theresa's Talks.

Farloft has had so much art produced for him by BlueKite-Fall of Deviant Art that you can find a full page of him on Google by just searching his name Farloft in the Images section of Google. Check it out, many of his friends are there too.

The last event of 2014, or perhaps it is the first event of 2015, was a huge Dragon Selfie. Farloft wanted one with all his friends. It should be completed this week and I will post it on Farloft's site when it is finished for all to see. Kitsooki on Deviant Art did a fabulous job capturing the baker’s dozen of dragons who wished to be in the picture.

And though I know it is not a goal, I cannot write a yearly wrap-up without including a thank you to the wonderfully talented folks who created FanArt for Farloft, Laura Walters, Merystic and MA Gilchrist. You can see their work on Farloft's Rhetoric. Also, check out Twin-Id, the dragon MA Gilchrist drew and asked me to pen the story of him.

My Goals for 2015:

1. The last of the Star Traveler Series will get their incredible new covers and be posted on all platforms. Volume #7 will be edited, proofed and released.
2.  I will write at least one new book in the Shifting group for the Twin Cities series – perhaps two.
3. There will be the continuing story in the second book of In2Minds and perhaps the finish of the trilogy this year.
4.  I will put out a book in the Farloft Chronicles called “Farloft, the Early Years.” This will be a series of three or four novella length books wrapped up in one volume about Farloft’s earlier years traveling as a youngling through the continents of his world – adventures with gryphon, other species of dragons and humans both good and bad.
5. I will continue to write on my site TheresaSnyderAuthor.com
6.  I will continue to seek out opportunities to do interviews and guest blog posts. And I will add to that library readings and book fairs. I have two library readings already scheduled for January and a book fair in April. I have an interview with Ron Shaw on March 2^nd. He is a CBS affiliate in Georgia who interviews authors, and I am really looking forward to that conversation. Please drop in and have a listen. If you hear of any opportunities please pass them on to me. I can’t travel far because of my commitments at home, but I have become a whiz on the internet, Skype and the phone.
7. I will continue with my YouTube channel. There will be more garden tours and DIY projects.
8. There will be more personal revelations and readings on Theresa's Talks for those of you who can’t get enough of me. heeheehee
9. And, I think an annual Selfie is in order.

So it will be a full year with lots to chatting about on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. If you don’t follow me socially, please consider doing so. I love to chat and so does Farloft, my dragon friend, who hops on my twitter account the last Friday of each month. He loves running contests and giving away things.

2015 is going to be a very good year, drop by and visit, pick up something to read and maybe get in a selfie with Farloft. Anything is possible.

July Update

Well, the month of June just slipped through my fingers. Do you feel the same way? I spent a lot of time in the garden.

I cleaned up and spiffed up the Moroccan Room so I could do a little entertaining in those lazy days of summer when it is too hot to do anything in the garden beyond 10:00 am.

Click on the link below to take the monthly tours of the garden, the Moroccan Room, or if you just want to sit and listen, the audio book of "James & the Dragon" is there too.

Our Quiet Corner - Garden & Moroccan Room Tours


I did a lot of writing, editing and formatting too! I hope to have all The Farloft Chronicles in paperback by the 1st of August. 1-3 are up already. The Farloft Chronicles in Paperback 4 and 5 coming soon. If you haven't read the Chronicles yet, perhaps now is the time. If you have read them, I must tell you I am very excited about the way they look in print.

Yogoloth

Yogoloth got his first two and sent me this cute picture with his dragon and gryphon 'softies.'

 


As soon as The Farloft Chronicles are all in paper, I will have a surprise for all of you. Farloft has been dictating his latest Chronicles #6 to me and it will be out sometime in late August or early September. Sarah is working on another great cover portrait for it. It will be the story of how we met, way-back-when.

Then, I will be back to writing about our friend Cody, the shape-shifter in The Realms. Shifting in The Realms He still has a lot of adventures to tell us about. Not least of which is the realization that Simone might be in love with someone else. Life can reach out and bite a wolf, no matter how strong he is.



The Society of Enlightened Dragonologist site will be up and running August the 1st. Until then, here is the blog site with a few little teasers to whet you appetite. The Society of Enlightened Dragonologists

Lot of fun things going on. I hope you will drop in and visit sometime this summer. Have a glass of iced tea in the Moroccan Room and catch up.