Mistakes of a writer.

I wrote my first book during my late teens. I hadn't researched more about the world of publishing, and decided to self publish with a vanity press. I regretted it. My work contained massive amounts of typos and grammatical errors. I felt ashamed and decided to do a bit of research before sending anything out to the public. Luckily, this book hadn't been read as I expected. Then, after huge amounts of rejection from Literary agents, I decided to turn to Amazon Kindle store due to the success stories of Amanda Hocking and John Locke. That didn't work for me too, at least as of now. Why? Because I was too impatient to work on my craft as a writer and give the world my very best.

I released, two novels and two novellas. One of the novellas was edited by a professional editor in Canada, so it was readable. The two novels were copy edited, but to my surprise, readers still found out errors. One advice I would give to upcoming authors, especially indie authors, is that make sure your work is at its best. If you don't have money, save money, and hire a very good editor to work on it, even after giving friends and family to edit for you. This pays a lot. Most of the reviews I received on Amazon and Goodreads were talking on the same subject "typos and grammatical errors". People won't have the interest to read your entire book if they come across flimsy typos. Also the usual "you're and your" may not be tolerated by most readers. I learnt this the hard way.

I have finished the series of my paranormal romance story, but I've decided to take my time and work on them before releasing them to the world. I will be in Canada next year and will hire professionals to design book covers and edit the entire series. I already have a budget of C$5000. Then, I will release it to the world and make good use of the lessons I've learned. I am currently in Africa, Nigeria to be precise undergoing a year's course, and in the meantime, I've written a novelette that would be sold to Secondary Schools over here. Also, I am working on a new series, but will speak about that later. The purpose of this post is to educate new writers, that CONTENT is the most important aspect of writing.  Learn more about writing, join writing communities (autonomy, wattpad etc) give readers to critique your work and accept criticism. Once you have a solid content, it's just a matter of time before you get recognised for being a prolific author. But it takes time. Rome, they say, wasn't built in a day.

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison.

 

Passion & Crime - First Draft - don't miss it!!!

30th July 2000

Fred stared at the clock on the wall as he sat down on his usual seat. He could hardly believe what he saw, even with the extra pair of lens in front of his deep blue eyes that were like bluish steel of the midwinter sky. 

There was a loud sound of silence echoing across the room as everyone focused on the pieces of papers in front of them. One could even hear the sound of the clock ticking. It was that quiet.

Fred glanced at his reflection who sat beside him, staring at the same clock.

"James, stop staring at the time," Fred said. "Miss Hilson is looking at us."

James smiled and looked down at the paper on his desk. He picked up his pen and faked a confused student charade.

Fred chuckled under his breath and picked up his pen to follow his brother's footsteps, after all they were identical twins.

They remained in the same confused state until Miss Hilson told everyone to hand in their papers. One could notice the relief in the boys’ faces, as they returned their exam papers to the invigilator. They had completed their exam thirty minutes before the finish time, and had to bear the agony of waiting for other students to complete theirs.

"How was it, Fred?" James asked as he packed his bag.

"It was okay," Fred replied smiling.

"You never use the word easy. Okay, let me help you. It was easy," James said stressing the word easy.

Fred smiled and picked up his bag that was beside his desk. He placed his arm over his brother's shoulder as they walked towards the exit.

"Hey, wait up," Melanie called.

The two boys turned back in a heartbeat; it was as though the sound of her voice heightened their senses.

"How's the paper?" Fred asked.

Melanie gave a warm smile that stretched across her flushed cheeks. This in turn drove chills down the spines of both James and Fred. There was something about this girl that made the boys grow goosebumps, perhaps it was her long blonde hair that fell perfectly on her shoulders, or her warm bleached eyes that resembled the great sea, or even her perfectly modelled figure. One thing was for sure, Melanie Monroe was the center of their universe.

"It was okay, a bit tough, but okay," Melanie said, grinning. "I can't believe this is our last exam."

"Yeah, me neither," James said.

"So, where have you chosen?" Fred asked her.

"I'm not sure yet. I got a response from Stanford and Yale, so I'll be going to one of them. How about you Fred?"

"Harvard, Prinston and Cambridge in London," Fred replied.

She smiled and turned to glance at his brother for his answer.

"Same, except my overseas choice happens to be Imperial," James replied.

"That's amazing you two. I'm so happy for you," Melanie said.

"Thanks Mel, we're happy for you too," James replied.

Melanie smiled and hugged the boys.

"This year, I've decided whoever asks me first to Prom I'll accept," she said. "It's hard to say no to either of you, so I'll just say yes to the first person."

James looked at his brother, who in turn frowned.

"What's the matter?" Melanie asked.

"We won't be around for Prom night. Our grandfather's celebrating his birthday in Southampton, UK and we must be there," Fred said.

"Aw, what a pity. It's our last prom night, and you decide to move round the world for your Grandfather's birthday that's an annual tradition. Not fair at all," Melanie said. Her once smiley face turned to a sob as her flushed cheeks became pale.

"We're sorry, Mel, but we've already booked our tickets," James said in a low voice.

Melanie looked down at the floor and walked out of the boys' sight. She couldn't bear to look at their well sculptured faces. The thought of not staring into either James or Fred's lovely colored eyes drove coals down her spine. Her pulse jolted as she ran out of the exam hall. To her, the boys had just left her on the altar.

"I hate it when this happens," Fred said.

"What? When has this ever happened?" James said with raised eyebrows.

"Hmm, perhaps because it feels like dejavu," he replied.

James chuckled.

"Oh well, we've booked our tickets. The worst aspect is that GrandPa's day coincidentally falls on the same day with our last Prom night as high school students," he said.

Fred shook his head in regret and walked to the exit of the building with his brother.

As they stepped outside the exam hall, Anton grabbed James by the arm and tried wrestling him. Sadly, James had more experience in that particular sport, plus his chiseled body gave him the upper hand. Anton was tall, dark and handsome. As for his physique, he was averagely built, like an athlete but not a wrestler.

"I give up," Anton screamed, as James wrapped his arm around Anton's head, in what seemed to be a head lock.

Meanwhile, Fred stood beside the two boys, laughing and shaking his head. He was the quiet and cool twin. Not that James wasn't cool, he just chose to exhibit his cool nature in a more aggressive form.

"Wow, you almost killed me," Anton moaned as he took deep breaths.

"I'm sorry," James replied, panting as well.

"How was your paper?" Fred asked.

"It was really easy," Anton replied.

Fred looked at his brother as he heard the word 'easy'.

"What? Did I say anything wrong?" Anton asked.

"Nah, you didn't say anything. Fred's just allergic to the word 'easy'," James said with a subtle smirk.

"Oh, yeah I forgot about that," Anton said. "You're a joker, Fred. You always say it's okay, but when your test results come out, you top the class, including your twin."

Fred snickered.

"Whatever you say, Anton," he said.

"Yeah, and I say you're a joker," Anton repeated. "Also, I saw Mel crying as she stormed out of the hall. Do you guys have anything to do with it?"

"Kinda," James said.

"We told her about our trip to Britain, and how it clashed with Prom night," Fred added.

"Oh, that's pretty bad," Anton said.

"Yeah, we know. We wish we could change the date of the Prom, but we can't," Fred said.

Just then, James nudged Anton on his shoulder.

"Are you still travelling with us?" he asked.

"Yup, I've booked my ticket online. There's no way I'd go to Prom without my wing men," Anton replied. "This time around, we're going to celebrate our Prom with British girls ."

"Oh really?" James asked in a somewhat British accent.

The boys laughed, as they strolled to the parking lot. James kept looking around; he couldn't believe he was leaving his alma mater so soon.

"I'm going to miss this place," he said.

"Yeah, me too," Anton agreed.

Fred remained quiet, savoring the moment as it went by. He wasn't a guy of too many words. His hand reached for the keys in his pocket and drew them out as the other two boys talked about what they were going to miss about the high school.

"Well, see you soon Anton," James said.

"Yeah, I'll come over to the house during the weekend, so we can discuss about our overseas escapade," he said as he strolled towards his car.

It was their last day at high school, but the three boys weren't sad that they were leaving high school. To them, they had more challenges to conquer, which in Anton's case meant ladies. In all, they were happy to move on to the next level, though sad they were going to leave Melanie. She was the only girl they ever liked, at least during their four years at high school.

What inspires a writer?

Happy New Year everyone,

I believe different people have different sources of inspiration, irrespective of their passions. For example, not all actors get inspired by watching movies or going to the theater to see an iconic play etc. Some, get inspired through books, listening to music, reading the papers. Now, the topic of what inspires a writer doesn't seem so clever after this brief introduction.

However, most people get inspired by the success of others, or their brilliant works. Just to be clear, there's a difference between Motivation and Inspiration. Finding a way out of the occasional 'writers block' is more of motivation than inspiration. Inspiration is what keeps you going, that is, what makes you persistent. Writers could have their entire plot laid down before them, but still are not inspired to write a novel. Either the occasional self-doubt kicks in: 'I'm not good enough' or 'Maybe writing isn't for me'. Inspiration is the key in unlocking one's potential. Once you're inspired by something or someone, you'll get the drive to kick start your career. Then, if you slow down or get stuck, that's when motivation comes in place.

What inspires Kelvin? One might ask. Well, it's a mixture of great books and success story of great people. "I want to be like him or her" or "I want to write such a mind gripping novel." This is what inspires me, Lately, it has been really difficult to sit down and write my novels. I've finished the 'LS' trilogy, and it's going through the editing phase, now, I'm writing a new series, which I believe will endear the fantasy readers. I hope to get the first book done before the London Book Fair this year. For now, it's writing, writing, writing.

So tell me, what inspires you as a writer? If you're not a writer, what inspires you to do what you do? Leave a comment below and share this post with your friends and family.

Warm Regards

Kelvin

It's not over, at least not yet

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I posted on here and I'm really sorry about that, I've just been in a dark place. Good news is that I'm out and ready to move on with my life. I miss tweeting, posting on Facebook and interacting with fellow authors and readers alike.

I'm currently editing the last book of the 'LS Trilogy'. It' should be ready by summer - I hope. Also, i'm writing a script for a TV sitcom. It's quite an interesting project to be working on. I try to broaden my horizon each time I write, but still stick to what I'm good at, writing a good story.

Any new gossip/news for me, please leave a comment below. I need to catch up on everything around here. Once again, I'm sorry for the long silence. I pray it never repeats itself.

Much Love
Kelvin

Sloutenville, the main location of 'LS: The Beginning'

 

My paranormal romance series 'LS' is mainly set in a fictional city called 'Sloutenville', pronounced - slow-ten-ville'. This fictional city is located in northern USA, close to cities like Minneapolis, Wisconsin etc. In this post, I'll give a bit detail on Sloutenville as a contemporary city, and explain why I chose to use a fictional city.

Sloutenville

Abbreviation: SV

Capital: Genezel
Population: 301, 427 people
Timezone: CST (UTC-6)
Average temperature: 30.6 F
Language: English - 99.1 %
                   Spanish - 0.9%
Tourist Attraction: Atlantic Towers
Government - Mayor: Francis Lekinston
.

So why did I choose a fictional city?
As most of you know, I don't live in the states, yet. I reside in England, UK. Therefore, it seemed a bit hard setting the location of the book in a known US city. Most people would notice the difference in dialogue etc, and I wanted to avoid this, thus creating my own fictional city, Sloutenville. This was because, if a reader complains about a certain dialogue i.e 'People in New York don't talk like this.', I would bring to his/her attention that Sloutenville isn't a real city. Therefore, the way the characters talk might be slightly different to other states.

Where did you get such idea from?
Frankly, I got the idea of creating my own fictional city in a real country from watching 'Smallville' and 'One Tree Hill', two of my favorite TV series.

Are there going to be more fictional cities?
Yes, certainly. Read the book(s) to find out more :)

That's it for today. My question to everyone: do you like the idea of fictional cities? If yes, what's the name of your best fictional city?




Credit: Image: posterize / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

On the edge: I guess this is where it ends

it's been a while I started writing. To me, I feel writing is my life and most of the time, I prefer writing to speaking. However, I'm at the point in my life that I have to make a vital decision, for me and my future family.

There are so many secrets behind my writing career. I hope in time I'll get to reveal them to the world. No worries, they aren't bad things. 'I don't do bad'.

So recently I got a review for the first book in my paranormal series, LS: The Beginning. It was rated 2 stars out of 5. To be honest, I felt a bit hurt at first, knowing how much I'd given into this book. I can clearly recall staying home just to write each chapters, while my friends went outing. I'd sacrificed a lot to become a writer. Does this mean I should get 5 stars every time? A big NO to that. I believe for one to become successful at anything he/she does, there needs to be three main factors: Passion, Skill and Luck.

Passion: As I aforesaid, I love writing and even if I never make it in the future, I'll keep writing for the fun of it. I had to buy a blackberry just because I want to be writing even when I'm on the bus, on my bed, anywhere.

Skill: I won't say I'm the best, considering my age. At the same time, I won't say I'm the worst, considering my age. haha :) I have gotten a few 5 star reviews, which means at least I must be a bit good at what I do as a writer: creating compelling stories and characters. There was a reviewer who rated the same book above 3 stars out of 5. Then she left a comment for me on Librarything. Thank you again for sharing your work with me. Keep at it Kevin and remember you have readers out in the world waiting for more of your books.

I had chills just reading this. To be honest, I almost cried. Although, why do most people call me Kevin; it's Kelvin :)

Luck: Now, this is the factor I seem to lack. Although, I think it's the least of the factor. if one doesn't have any of the two above, I doubt even the luckiest man could become John Locke or Amanda Hocking, just saying. I've read some paranormal romance out there on kindle, and I say to myself, this book's okay and it's doing really well. Why aren't mine? I believe that's the period of weakness. I try to compare my books with others, which to me isn't right. Every author has a unique voice, and I'm learning to understand that.

So right now, I'm preparing to release a new romance fantasy book, but I keep asking myself one thing. Will readers like this? or will they hate it like some did to the rest. As the bestseller, Melissa Foster said in a guest post, "bad reviews don't mean your book is not good, it just means if fell into the wrong hands." Also, John Locke said this as well in his amazing book 'How I sold 1 million eBooks in 5 months' If you're an aspiring indie writer you need to check out this book. It's just $2.99. That's just less that £2 in the UK, and it could change your life. It changed mine.

I read a post on Patti Roberts blog, an amazing Aussie writer. She said we should complete this...

Mark Twain wrote “Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.”

So how should this end: 'Write Like....."

In an agreement to Mark's quote. I'll add, "Write Like No One's Reading"

The funny thing about this blog is that I started with an intention to tell the world how I frustrated I am with my bad reviews and slow sales, but now I just realized something: THIS ISN'T THE END, IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING

P.S: Please do check out the blogs of the mentioned authors on my blog list at the side. They are amazingly gifted. Also, do leave your comments on how you battle bad reviews

Giving out AReC of my upcoming book

Hiya everyone,

I'm counting weeks before I release the first book in a Romance Fantasy series. It's one of my favorite projects and I can't wait to share it with the world. Already, I have been giving a 5 star review for this book (Yay Me), and I'd like to receive more honest reviews from readers, writers - everyone. Below is the cover art of the book and its blurb. Feel free to follow this blog and leave a comment on this post, stating what you think of the art and the blurb, and also leave your email addresses if you're interested in doing a review.

Blurb: A handshake between strangers has never held so much promise for discovery.

When Stephen Wilson meets Lisa Morgan at his new school in Sloutenville, it is the simple act of extending his hand in greeting that flips both of their worlds upside-down. With the gesture, both discover that in some way they are connected, and that they share the ability to manipulate the elements, fire and water. Though their abilities vary, they share the gift of telepathy allowing them to communicate without words, which creates a bond between them stronger than either had expected.

As the two begin to spend more and more time together David, Lisa’s ex, becomes wild with jealousy, lunching multiple attacks on Lisa. In the fight against the dangers that await them around every corner, Stephen and Lisa soon discover that they are up against much greater odds than they had originally known, and that their struggles are far from over.

I look forward to your reviews and comments

5 Star Review for my upcoming book

LS The Beginning Review

LS The Begining Review

LS The Begining is a powerful story about young man, who, upon coming to America, learns his parents have bought him gifts: a house, a fararie, and over a million dollars. But these are not the only gifts he has unexpectently recieved.

He has also been given the gift of power. A power in which he can freeze anything he chooses to freeze. He shares his gift with a beautiful young woman, who also has recieved a gift of her own. A gift that reflects off of his own. The gift of fire.

Now, the two of them must learn why they have been bestowed with such powerful gifts.

I found myself drawn in with this story, back to a time, with the characters, when I knew rhe same up and down emotions of high school, and all the feelings that come with this time in each of our lives when we are experiencing a kelidoscope of emotions, and learning what defines our life as our own.

The two young people are drawn down a path, where the must, not only define thmselves and their future, but how their powers fit in this future as they are tumbled, head long, into a spectacular adventure.

I give, LS The Begining five stars, and highly recomemend reading it

Lenore Wolfe - Source

Contest Ended

Hiya everyone:

Finally, the giveaway for two signed copies of Fast Forward: Into The Future is now over. I'll be announcing the two lucky winners by the end of the week, and I'd like to thank everyone who entered the contest. Thanks a lot.

Kelvin

Poem!!!

ME

Everyone makes mistakes
but I learn to float on the correction lake
allowing my mistakes to guide ME

Most people want fame/fortune
but I don't flow with the same tune
I want fortune/fame to want ME.

Most people hustle around
but I still remain on the same ground
knowing my Lord is with ME..

Some people are never fulfilled
but I'm grateful to God, for not being killed
And I know he'll never leave ME

Some people find it hard to love
As for me, I find it hard to be loved
Then again that's just ME

Most writers are talented, few are blessed
I hope one day my skills would be put to the test
Till then, I'm left with being ME

Lastly, it takes a great deal of perseverance to be successful
Most people fail to comprehend this important tool
Remember I said most people, not ME

B for Barcelona football club

From a very young age, I have supported the famous Football/Soccer club, FC Barcelona. It's a Spanish football club suited in Barcelona. From the days of Rivaldo to the days of Lionel Messi, I have been a loyal fan of the club. So when it came to the letter "B" this was the only word I could think of.

Not only do they win trophies and games, they play excellently well, entertaining their fans and mostly - enemies as well. Presently coached by Pep Guardiola, Barcelona has become one of the greatest football clubs in the world. They have over 10 European cups, 21 La-Liga titles and 25 Spanish cups. They have never been relegated in history. Indeed, they are simply brilliant.

I love their game play, and how they move with the ball. Even though they lose a match, I still enjoyed how they played. I began liking their game play the moment they signed Ronaldinho. the Brazilian mid-fielder. Then I fell in love with the club the moment they signed Lionel Messi, the Argentine supporting striker. These two players brought out the best in the club. Ronaldinho helped them to win the UEFA Champions League in 2006, while Lionel Messi helped them to win the same title in 2009. scoring the second and finishing goal in the second half.

Barcelona brings out the best in players as well. If you take a look at all the Fifa World Best Football Player till date, most of them where in Barcelona during the time they won the title. Also, in the present competition, Barcelona broke history by having the first three positions of the Fifa World Player of the Year filled with their players alone. What can I say? They are awesome.

I know this post has been a bit one-sided, but I just wanted to share with you all my interest in sports. So the question for the week is:

What is your favorite sport, and what club/team do you support?

Books arrived!!!

Hiya everyone:

Been a while a posted a blog on this site. I'm really sorry, been so busy. No worries, you didn't miss much. I'm still looking for reviewers for my new and upcoming Fantasy book. I have gotten few people to begin reading, and I'm looking for more. If you're interested, leave me your email and when you're free to do the review, and I'll get back to you. Check out this page for more on the book.

Anyways, I arrived home this night to meet a parcel waiting for me. Instantly, I knew what it was and where it came from. I opened the parcel and smiled at the hardcopy of my new book. Just to share the joy with everyone, I took a few photos of a copy of the book.

There are still two signed copies of this book to be won. All you have to do is enter your name and email in the form HERE Don't miss out. Entry closes 20th May 2011.

Also, it's now on print. Click HERE to buy a copy.