Free Draw for a Kindle

In celebration of the release

of the new e-editions of

THE TRAZ.

Purchase/Sample links:
2nd Edition
School Edition

I'm about to make the draw for a free Kindle--a contest I've been running for almost a year.  Originally, I intended to make the draw to celebrate the Spring release of the sequel to THE TRAZ.  However, when Imajin Books bought the publishing rights to the sequel, my plans changed.  I decided to instead use the draw to celebrate the release of the new Imajin Books e-editions of THE TRAZ. That happened last Thursday so I'm drawing today.

As I write out the names of all the latest entrants, I'm thinking about how excited I was when I unwrapped my own Kindle two Christmases ago. Even though I had been sure I was getting one, to actually hold one in my hand...and to discover how user-friendly it was and how the novels I wrote looked so beautiful on it.  I took my Kindle with me to the Panama beach and was surprised how easy it was on the eyes under the bright, high, equatorial sun.

I quickly discovered how much cheaper ebooks were than paperbacks and I soon found I could get many free books, too.  I learned that I could email my draft manuscript from my computer to my Kindle and hand it off to my friend to proof as she stood in line at the Blues Fest. She highlighted, questioned, commented and compared with the push of a few buttons--then handed it back to me. 

There were many hours in the waiting rooms of specialists and surgeons during that first winter--how nice it was to slip my Kindle out of my purse and immerse myself in a fantasy instead of waiting nervously for medical results and decisions.I was delighted to find out my Kindle would read aloud to me during those long, long treks all alone from home to the city and back.

I was so happy to give my brother-in-law a Kindle. He must undergo dialysis several times a week and when they moved the shunt from his neck to his arm, he could no longer turn the pages of a book or magazine.   A Kindle would give him something to do during the hours he has to spend in treatment. I loaded Malcolm's Kindle with Amazon's free classics and my books (of course) before wrapping it for him.

So, as I gather the names of those who recently entered my free Kindle draw, and bring out the bright gold box that holds the names of those who've entered over the past 12 months,  I ponder who it is that I hope will win.

How about one of the children at the Side Door Youth Centre in Yellowknife? That was the first presentation I did to youngsters, using The Traz to talk about decision-making and the dangers of gangs. I was surprised to discover that when I passed out the entry forms for the kids to write their names,I was giving many of them a difficult task. Several refused the paper and pen and only later did I realize that they could not write. I helped several youngsters enter. If one of them were to win--would it encourage them to learn to read and write?  That would be nice...

Or maybe one of the students from the Alternate Education Centre here in my home town will win.  That group of kids was so attentive while I read and talked. The students and teachers made me feel very welcome and bought several books, some for the Centre's libraries.  One of those at-risk children, maybe one who is hurting and alone like the young protagonist in THE TRAZ, would feel special to be the owner of a Kindle...

Or how about one of those lovely ladies who braved the dark -40C/F winter to attend my book signing at the Yellowknife Public library? A Kindle would warm their hearts, I'm sure.

Maybe someone I know personally will win, a friend or relative, who has been supportive of my writing career for years.  Maybe someone who encouraged me when I was discouraged. Maybe someone who tells others about my books, who buys my books, who reviews my books, who talks about my books.  That would be nice--to give a Kindle to someone I know.

Maybe I'll draw the name of someone I don't know--one of those lovely strangers who posted a review for me, or who participated in one of my silly contests--like the my "Many Worlds" Contest" where readers suggested a way people can tell if they're in an alternate universe.  These strangers made an effort to interact with me, though they don't know me.  Giving one of them a Kindle would be grand.

I wonder who will win my Kindle?

This afternoon, I draw.  Tomorrow I announce. You'll find the winner's name on my facebook author page tomorrow morning, MDT
_______________________________________




Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Addition of new editions....

I'm ecstatic to announce that Imajin Books will be releasing two new ebook editions of THE TRAZ on Thursday, 15 March 2012.

One is the new School Edition and the other is a revamped original.  Both books will sport a brand new, intriguing cover.

Also, it is with extreme pleasure that I announce I have signed with Imajin Books to release THE TRAZ School Edition in paperback later this spring.

You can get a sneak peek at the newly-designed cover on my Facebook Author Page  Please visit me there, 'like' the page (I can't have friends on this page, only 'likes'), and leave a comment on the new cover because I will automatically enter your name to win a Kindle.

The old cover will still grace the 1st Edition paperback

In celebration of the new releases, I will make the draw for the Kindle on Monday 19 March 2012.

Entered in the draw (along with those who comment on the cover), are those who posted a review of my books this past year, the children at the SideDoor Youth Center, the young adults from the St. Paul Alternate Education Centre, all those who visited me during my author signings, and those who participated in my other silly little contests over the past year.

For those patiently waiting for the sequel to THE TRAZ, I'm doing one final author edit before submitting the manuscript to the Imajin editors.  You can expect this book, the second in the my BackTracker series, to be released in late summer/early fall 2012.


Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Top ten ways you can tell you're in a parallel universe

In Schrodinger’s Cat, distinctive odors tip off Chorie (and the reader) as to which universe she’s inhabiting.

In reality, it is much more difficult to determine which world you’re in. Here, to assist you are the top ten ways you can tell if you’re not in the universe that you thought you were:

1. Someone you don’t know greets you on the street by name and asks how your mother is 
2.  A politician who you’re sure was under investigation for fraud two years ago is now running for Prime Minster/President 
3.  The video surveillance camera shows an entirely different crime scene than the one you saw and testified about
4. You’re positive your best friend’s birthday is next month but find out it was last week 
5.  When playing “guess who sang this song?” with friends, your answer for the one tune you’re absolutely positive about proves to be wrong 
6.  You lose an argument about what year the family photo was taken
7. You wake up and all the clothes in your closet are a size too small 
8.  You set the table for a family supper and you’re one plate short 
9.  A telemarketer calls and speaks perfect English 
10.  Suggest the  tenth way one can tell if one’s in a parallel universe and I’ll enter your name in my draw for a Kindle (I guarantee that you’ll be the winner—in a universe somewhere)

Please visit my facebook fan-appreciation page and leave your answer there. 

 

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Someone said...

Perhaps what surprised me more than being told somebody found the cover to my sci-fi novella Schrödinger's Cat "pornographic" was my reaction--I publically burst into tears and cried for about four hours steady.

The St. Paul Co-op Gas Bar has been wonderful to me since my books came out.  They offered to display them on the counter by the cash registers and sales have been brisk.  St. Paul doesn't have a bookstore so, with the gas bar being one of the town's busiest spots and with it's customers all approaching the counter with their wallets out, this was an offer I treasured.

However, earlier this week when I showed up to fill the van with gas and replenish my book supply, I was told I could no longer sell my books there.  Some older lady had complained that the cover to Schrödinger's Cat was pornographic and the Co-op administration had apparently agreed.

The controversial cover

It ought to have been at least mildly amusing, and I knew that.  However, I could not stem the flow of tears, no matter how much I chided myself.

It was one of those times when emotions ruled rationality--totally.  I was devastated that someone saw pornography in my poor pregnant heroine, struggling to maintain her sanity and her marriage as her daughter slipped steadily toward death.

Although authors are known to have strange and deep connections to their characters, my reaction exceeded even that norm.  Today, though, after a night's sleep and some chatter on the social networks, I at least partially understand my reaction.

I burst into tears because I felt that the degrading sexualization of my troubled heroine was an insult not only to her but to me and to all women

I cried because, for all intents and purposes, someone in my community said that if I show cleavage and wear a dress above the knee I'm a slut and shouldn't be out in public and someone else agreed.

I cried because someone said that because Chorie is dressed beautifully, she's pornographic and the dying child in the background and the family off to the left are irrelevancies.

I cried because someone said that women must mask themselves as asexual beings before being allowed out in public.  Someone said that if I dress up pretty, I become a disgusting sexual object that ought to be hidden.   Someone said women are bad for business when they wear their summer outfits.

Somebody said I ought to be ashamed of myself for wearing my scoop-necked shirt...and somebody else agreed.

Yup, that's what turned on my tears when someone insulted my heroine.
_______________________________
For more on this controversy, vist my facebook fan page and click "like"

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Yeah, me! 2-book publishing deal signed

 

It was the third week of January 2012 and I was totally prepared to self-publish the sequel to The Traz.  I had an editor and proof reader lined up, a cover artist, reviewers, blurbers, and beta readers.  A formatter—to upload my manuscript to Amazon, Smashwords, and CreateSpace.

I was set to get ISBN assigned.  I had a person in my sights to do my video trailer and was making preliminary plans for a launch party (I might still do that. It involves a hot tub, some bubbly, lots of chocolates….)

I celebrated my 2-book contract in front of the media at St. Paul Literacy Day celebrations

I was planning a spring release for this sequel and was diligently revising and editing my way through the manuscript and…desperately trying to find a suitable and marketable title for the book.  I was posting teasers on my social networks and was running a free draw for a Kindle to coincide with the release.

It was going to be easier to self-publish this time, I told myself.  Because now I knew what was involved and the order in which things must be done.  I had a realistic budget, a book marketing coach, and the beginnings of a fan base

Then, Imajin Books emailed me an offer—for not only the paperback and ebook rights to the sequel, but to re-release THE TRAZ ebook—with a snazzy new look and a comprehensive, professional marketing strategy designed to snag my share of the elusive eBook market (something I was having trouble achieving).

Whoa, I thought.  (Or something like that.  Perhaps it was more like, Wow!)  I’d never had a publisher approach me before. My sci-fi novella, Schrodinger’s Cat, had been picked up by WolfSinger Publication—but only after I’d emailed a query and a submission.

Plus, I was totally flabbergasted that someone would bet money on a novel that wasn’t even finished yet, that I was still revising—a novel that they’d never read.  I didn’t believe all this was really going to happen until my Paypal account showed the advances had arrived.

I set about cancelling all those I had lined up to help me self-publish.  I sent out a news release and announced my good fortune to family, friends, and fans.  Then, it began to sink in…there are downsides to having a publisher.

I no longer had total control over my work. It wasn’t going to be me designing the cover, or selecting the title; it would be Imajin Books.  It would be them setting the release dates and determining the prices.  Them, with whom I’d be sharing the profits.

I’d done a lot of research and thinking way back when, before I decided to self-publish The Traz—now all the reasons I'd used to convince myself to go ahead with the project, came flooding back.  Most of them centred on having control over my career, seeing my book in print, and actually having other people read my stuff.  

But I'd also told myself that I wanted to get my product out there for industry insiders to see, to spark the interest of agents and publishers, to ensure them I’d be a good investment for them and that I was willing and able to invest in my career.

That goal, I’d achieved with Imajin Books.  

I knew from my experience with Schrodinger’s Cat, that having a publisher frees up a lot of time—time that I’d rather spend writing. Besides, although I must now share my profits, Imajin Books is picking up all those initials costs for editors, and covers, and trailers, press releases, and marketing (Although I don’t know if I can convince them to cover the costs of my hot tub-chocolate-bubbly Book Launching Party.  Perhaps if I invite them?)

With my publishing contract, I will be freely tapping into Imajin's established markets, promotional expertise, and technical and literary skills.  Financially, I will be saving a lot of money on publishing, coaching, and promoting and if my sales increase dramatically (as I anticipate), even though I’ll be splitting the profits, I’ll be making more.

Having said all that and having made my decision, I did ensure that the contract I signed wasn’t going to smother me—that if things don’t work out as anticipated, I will still have options.

One clause I looked for is a time limit on the contract.  The rights will revert to me automatically after so many years, should Imajin Books and I not sign a new agreement.  If, in the not-too-distant future, it becomes apparent that my publisher isn’t able to do for me what I’m expecting, or if better offers come along, or if technology opens up new opportunities—I will be free to self-publish or market my books elsewhere.   The other thing I looked for in the contract was confirmation that I retained all rights to my other writing and novels.  I didn’t want my entire career tied to this one publisher.

I have those freedoms.  If Imajin Books kicks starts my sales in the international online marketplace, gets my name and work out there and known, establishes an extensive and loyal fan base for me,  I can take advantage of all that and, without having to share royalties, self-publish other novels.

That is—if I again want to assume all those publishing expenses, and take on all those publishing roles, and invest all that money and time…

Always nice to have options.  Always nice to have access to free expertise.

 ________________________________

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Nursery Cat

 

Nursery Cat

Changeling. Shape Changer. Shifter

from

father to

black

cat

seeking

night-time nursery visits for

nameless

bedtime act.

Cat eyes gleaming.

Evil soul.

That cat stole

into my space.

Shared my

place.

Touched my face.

Icy claws.

Then

left

tears.

Raw, dark fears.

I am a Changling.

Shape Changer.

Shifter from happy to sad

Daylight to dark

Confident…then not.

Heaven then hell.

All is not well for that

child who time

shape-changed to a lover.

Then, a mother

and who will now

and forever…and

still be

a changeling child

stalked by

that…

wild

black…

nursery cat.

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Chance to win Kindle

If you leave a comment on my article "On forseeing tragedy..." I'll enter your name in my draw for a Kindle.  Draw will take place in Spring 2012 to celebrate the release of BACKTRACKER: sequel to The Traz

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com